


Undertale: Frost

by Ngrey651



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Ancient History, Bigotry & Prejudice, Drama, Fantasy, Mythology References, Period-Typical Racism, Tragedy, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2020-02-07 02:48:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 76,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ngrey651/pseuds/Ngrey651
Summary: How DID things get so terrible that Monsters ended up sealed Underground? How did humans and monsters live amongst each other? Follow the tale of Toriel, Asgore, Grillby, Gaster and more, and the young men and women who would become the 7 mages, and seal the fate of all monsters. A deep, comprehensive tale crossing many miles and years. Don't be afraid to leave a comment or review.





	1. Toriel and her Pen Pal

 

**Author's Note:**

**This was a story I had always intended to write, but never really found the time to. Now I've got more time to, having settled into my new job, working at a brand new hospital. With this story, I intend to be fairly historically accurate to the times the tale takes place in, and the cultures as well. I'll try hard to be respectful, and to be understanding, but I recognize I will make some mistakes. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and point out what you like and where I can improve. This story will be covering some very tough, hard subject matter, and I won't really shy away from it though I'll try to not create anything so dark it gets an M rating. Above all else, I want the story to FEEL real, and to feel like the people within actually, truly lived. If I can tell that story, and make you enjoy it, and make you perhaps think a little about the big issues within this story...I'll be happy.**

**Seriously, nothing makes a writer feel better than knowing people read their work. So please. Don't be afraid to comment or review. And so, without further ado, I give you my vision of the past. I give you...Frost.**

* * *

The sun softly lilted over the quiet city of Lincoln, England, the skies above filled with soft, lilting clouds as a gentle zephyr blew through the hair of those walking into the cathedral. It was the tallest building in the world, towering higher even than the Great Pyramid of Giza, with a magnificent central spire reaching to the heavens above in the center of the large church, and smaller spires at the front, its big, huge double doors open and letting all inside.

Even the monsters.

They passed their way into the cathedral's south entrance under the "Bishop's Eye", an enormous, beautiful stained glass rose window, a companion piece to the "Dean Eye" on the north where people would be exiting. This was, of course, deliberate, for the South represented the Holy Spirit, whilst the North stood for the Devil. The Bishop gazed out at the south, to invite in, whilst the Dean gazed out to the North to shun. The Cathedral, therefore, looked upon both Heaven and Hell…metaphorically speaking. All were welcome inside, but when they left by the North, they'd be reminded to be wary of the guiles of the evil one.

And there…there she was. One of the biggest reasons people had decided that perhaps letting the monster race into the town of Lincoln wasn't such a bad idea. She was clad in her plain robes, but her white fur shone beautifully, her eyes closed as she sang for the assembled crowds making their way into the church. The backup choir behind her harmonized along with her powerful yet soft voice, a voice likes that of an angel that instantly drew your attention. Though she had little tiny nubs for horns atop her faintly goat-like skull, and her finger's nails were somewhat pointed, the cute, large feet, the little sweet pot belly you could see, and her voice, the VOICE! All of that was disarming. Even her eyes weren't scary, though red in color, they were very close to brown, and came off as more soothing than sinister as Toriel, proud member of Saint Mary's Cathedral, sang for the masses, as Father White watched in his own soft robes not far away from the pulpit.

As Toriel sang, her cross necklace glinted in the light filtering in through the stained glass windows of the cathedral, and people were practically hypnotized as the words lilted through the air. Her words brought to mind soft grass in a valley, of the wind blowing through flowers, with petals dancing on the wind. It made you think of warm rays of the sun that faintly kissed your skin, and a tenderness that was rare to find on Earth.

"She's one of the good ones, without a doubt." Said Tobias's father as the young lad with the cute smile and rosy cheeks quietly watched her, blushing a bit more as he gazed at her face.

"She's, um…quite a lovely singer, yes." He finally murmured out.

"If only ALL the monsters had as fine a voice as this "Baphomine"." Tobias's father James commented with a sigh as he put his arm around his wife Marietta. Quite a few of the inhabitants in the church nodded at this quietly murmured remark, though Tobias flinched at this, and it comforted him to see quite a few people turning to give James a rather irritated and angry look. "Remember, Tobias. In the service of the lord, even beings as lowly and wretched as monsters can be made almost human. Truly, the church's mercy is a thing to admire that even such beasts can be admired in some way."

"Well…beasts can't talk…" Tobias muttered. "I've not ever heard a dog or cow or frog speak."

"Oh, they can imitate our language much like they imitate our songs, but I doubt they really understand it. Much like how a…PARROT can imitate human speech but not comprehend it. They're merely following our lead, my son." James reasoned. Tobias held his tongue, though for a brief, dark, horrible moment, he imagined kicking his father in the shins.

At last, Toriel had finished her song and bowed, as people clapped in the aisles, and Father White moved forward, nodding his head at Toriel, taking the young, teenage monster's hands in his. "Bless you, Toriel. Bless your heart. And bless all of thee for coming. The Lord be With You."

"And also with you." The masses repeated back.

"We profess our belief in the Lord, Jesus. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whomever believed in him should have eternal life. This is the Gospel of the Lord."

"Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ."

Father White's thick black hair fell about his face as he his slightly scraggly-bearded face looked out among the throng. His blue eyes flitted very briefly over to Toriel before he spoke, loudly and firmly. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For thou are like whited sepulchers, beautiful upon the outside, yet inwardly rotten, full of dead men's bones and all uncleanliness. Though thou appear outwardly righteous, within thee is hypocrisy and iniquity! The Gospel of Matthew, one of my absolute most favorite parts of all the New Testament. Every one of thee should know it. Matthew, one of the 12 Apostles, wrote this fine Gospel primarily for a specific audience. Do any here know who they were? Come, please. Raise thy hands. This is a safe place for all who want to believe, and you won't be judged or mocked if you get it wrong."

Tobias slowly raised a hand up, before anyone else, and when Father White pointed at him, he spoke as clearly as he could, Toriel's eyes looking right into his own. "Was the gospel written for the Jews, Father White?"

"Yes. Matthew makes mention of more Old Testament sections than any other gospel, and he saw Jesus as King of the Jews, who fulfills the prophecies within the Old Testament. He wanted Jewish people to be able to welcome Him into their hearts, and to convince them with that which they themselves held dear, the holy words and prophecies and lessons they took to heart. By showing them this, and the miracles Jesus performed, Matthew hoped they would welcome Jesus. Let us pray upon this."

He bowed his head, the people in the Cathedral following suit as Toriel bowed her own head. Come about 45 minutes later, the service was over, and she was nodding as people left the Cathedral…before quickly rushing over to one particular person. Or rather, one particular monster.

"Careful!" She quickly ushered the burning, constantly-on-fire Pyrope away from a tapestry just in time. Phew. Now the depiction of Christ on the cross wouldn't go up in flames! The big, coal-like, large-mouthed monster's head hopped up and down on the coiled, rope-like chest, stomach and lower body of his frame, wearing fancy sandals as the fiery hair he had slightly flared up before it cooled down at the sight of her worried face.

"My apologies." Percival Pyrope remarked, the burning fire upon his round, black, eyeless face turning into a very thin layer of fire, his "normal" state when he wasn't excited. The Pyrope and monsters much like him who could accidentally damage the church had to sit rather separated from the throngs of humans. Didn't want them burning down the church!

"Its alright, really. You've been VERY well behaved, thank you so kindly." Toriel said warmly, bowing at Percival Pyrope as he left the church and Toriel, in turn, walked over to Father White as he looked over a big copy of the Bible at his podium. "You were very, very considerate to use Matthew in today's sermon." She said, as Father Michael took her hands again and shook them.

"Anytime, Toriel. You are as a shining light in our church, and welcome here anytime you desire. You'll never be turned away from here." Father White insisted kindly as he briefly peered over Toriel's shoulder, taking notice of the fact that…yes. There he was. Little Toby had stayed behind and was nervously rocking back and forth on his feet. "May I help you, Toby?"

"Um…may I have confession, sir?"

"Of course. Come this way." Father White led Tobias off across the church and towards the booth used for confession as Toriel, in turn, made her way out of the church and towards the local inn to get lunch.

Though many of the townsfolk smiled a little at her, or bowed their heads, others quietly shuffled out of her way, a few muttering nervously, looking a bit pale as she entered the inn and sat down at a table, the innkeeper sending a server over to her as several people she'd not seen in town before glanced in her direction.

"…oh. Those. Let's…not stay. I'm not hungry at the moment." One of the men grumbled as his friends nodded, the bartender sighing a bit as he watched them leave, Toriel quickly digging into her robes pockets.

"Here, I'll pay a little extra to make up for your lost business."

"A pleasure doing business with you, then!" The innkeeper remarked with a big grin as he nodded at the server. "Hannah, give Ms. Choir Girl anything she'd like!"

"Not a problem at all…" Hannah said with a nod as she stood by Toriel. "So what do you want?"

"I'll have the usual." Toriel remarked as Hannah nodded, going off to get Toriel her salted meat dish she so adored, combined with a nice local ale as Toriel, in turn, took something else out of her pocket…silver shine polish for her cross necklace, a creation of her own design she'd made by herself. In fact, she made quite a bit of good money selling her artistic creations, and used a bit of the proceeds to help the church. It was only fair, she felt, given how they'd let her join, the first monster in Saint Mary's-

Toriel sniffed at the air, turning. Oh. A man behind her was looking over a pie that had been served to him and he tilted his head to the side as he examined it. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you, sir." Toriel spoke up softly as the man glanced up at her, then at the pie. "It smells…" She sniffed at the air. "Yes, I think whomever baked it didn't quite use proper butter."

"You can tell from smell?" The man asked. He HAD looked irritated looking at her but now his expression was one of wonder. "I had no idea. Is it because you Baphomine part goat?"

Toriel inwardly flinched, but she said nothing outwardly and shook her head. "No, no, my kind aren't part goat, we just resemble them somewhat. Much like how a statue only resembles a living being, but isn't truly one. And, uh…we'd prefer being called "púca", good sir."

"Pooka? That's…Irish, isn't it?" The man inquired, wearing a thick robe that looked quite fancy and having a short moustache and beard. He looked very nondescript otherwise as he sniffed the pie. "Well, I'll take your word for it. Thank you very much, Miss…um…your name?"

"Toriel."

"Do you have a second name?"

"Oh, no, we monsters don't always have that either."

"I'm learning so many things about your kind! My name's Hugh, by the way." He said with a small smile as, at last, Toriel's own meal arrived. "Please, sit with me. I'd like to know more about you and your kind. I don't mean to impose, but I've heard so much, and I'd like to come away from this knowing you and your ilk better."

Toriel nodded, and she moved her meal to his little table, sitting across from him. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and probably wouldn't be the last, but she didn't mind, not really. If it meant a better understanding of her people and of her, then this was fine. It reminded her of a story that Father White had said, of somebody seeing someone on the beach, picking up starfish and tossing them into the sea. The second person had admonished this starfish saver. "Look, there's hundreds of these, you'll never save them all. You can't think you're making a difference." But the other man had simply smiled, picked up another starfish, and tossed them off into the ocean, saying "It made a difference to THAT one."

Toriel would be that Good Samaritan. And Mr. Hugh would be yet another starfish. As she began to speak about her kind, she felt something almost familiar in him. Almost-

Ah. Now she realized. His hair. It was rather like that of her friend off in Wales. She wondered how he was doing.

As it were, winter was soon to settle in Wales, and the first quilting of clouds passed its way towards the ramparts of the castle on the hill. The sun's rays were being slowly but surely obscured by the greying blanket that was making its way over the inhabitants of the castle as the guard nonchalantly sat on its ramparts, keeping their eyes peeled. They had their weapons close at hand, ready to snatch up at a moments notice, bows had fresh drawstrings put in them, the spears had been finely shined and armor a-glinted in the few remaining rays of light that burst through the clouds above. A light wind ruffled through their hair as they looked about at each other, ready to make their move. The only question was…who would break first? Their opponent was crafty and calculating and-

"HA."

Lord Llywelyn Ap Iorwerth was smirking in delight, and he picked up the winnings from the men, shaking them about in one hand and looking supremely smug. His moustache quivered in that way it did whenever he was especially pleased with himself, his cloaked frame rising up as he put the winnings from the dice roll in his bag and shook it about in the air, his thick Welsh accent audible for all the men gathered about to hear. "Hear that, me lads? THAT'S the sound of success."

"Just wait." One of the men grumbled as his buddy scratched the bald patch in the midst of the spiky hair on either side of his head. "We'll get our money back soon enough. Another round!" He insisted, shaking his fist defiantly at their lord as his ponytail flopped off the side of his shoulder, his bowman friend adjusting the bag of arrows he had slung around his back. "How about it?" He asked as he turned to another pal.

"…I dunno, Arthus." The somewhat shorter, tubbier spearman shook his head as he plucked a bit at the stringed lute as had in his lap at the moment, humming a bit, his rather large chin slightly bouncing as he hummed a few bars, playing some more of the lute. "I think I want to cut my losses." He said, the slight wind in the air a-ruffling his somewhat poofy hair.

"Dylann is right. Ol' Bowen's up for anything…but not a second pounding at the dice." Bowen the Bowman said in his oddly low voice as he sighed and hung his head, shaking it back and forth. Sitting not far away two knights glanced at each other briefly as they stood on opposite sides of Lord Llywelyn, one with a half-visor esque helm who's lower half was slightly dotted with little holes, chainmail on his arms and legs as he hung his own head in dice defeat. His comrade, who wore a helm that was smooth and square-like and with a slightly jutting-out front with plate armor on his arms, but not his legs shook his head too.

"Gawain and I aren't interested in losing again."

"Iolo, come now!" proclaimed Arthus, looking rather mortified. "That's two week's pay you've lost!"

"And I don't want to lose another two weeks." The plate-mail having knight commented. "My dear "Artie"…one must know when to cut one's losses."

"Perhaps Elisud wants in?" Arthus asked as he and the others turned to the young lad who was looking out over the ramparts, who hadn't joined in the fun at all. Elisud, though being the youngest there at age 16, looked far older than he really was. He was already showing the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow with the faintest sign he was going to have quite the beard/moustache combination. He also had a bit of a receding hairline, his hair wafting about in the wind somewhat as he looked across the long stretches of grass to the east.

Elisud turned to look back at them, a slightly surprised…even annoyed…expression on his face. "Um…well, it is just…I mean, I've been told gambling is a sin, good sirs, and I don't want to sin. I AM going to be a Friar."

"Exactly. A Friar. You Franciscans have to take vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Nothin' in there that says you can't GAMBLE, that ain't one of the 10 Commandments!" Arthus laughed.

"Besides, if you're concerned about the money…just give it back to these fine gentlemen. You can call that "charity"." Lord Llywelyn said with a smile at Elisud as he rubbed the back of his neck. Elisud had been training to be a self-taught Friar for weeks now, he'd read book after book about what it took and he wanted to establish a Franciscan monastery in Wales, there weren't ANY in the entire land and he wanted to be the first.

"Well…okay." He said at last before glancing back across the grass. "But are you absolutely sure we don't need to worry about them?" He wanted to know as he looked back over the long stretches of green at the distinctly white-skinned, odd mixture of ugly and cute that was sitting about 100 yards away from them. He'd been watching that froglike creature for a good ten minutes, and he'd been most unsettled at how it was just STARING at them all.

Froggits, they were called. They looked much like their namesakes, but there was…SOMETHING underneath their little bodies that peered out, some kind of bug of some kind that people suspected allowed the frog-like top to call forth flies to buzz forth and attack the monster's target. The fact that they were only about a foot tall made them a bit more worrisome to deal with than a normal frog, but still…

A frog monster with big stupid eyes that could summon a couple flies or so to buzz at you wasn't too intimidating. At least, the men clearly didn't think so as Dylann plucked at his lute some more and began to play a tune, the men sniggering all around.

"Elisud, it's a damn froggit. They're not scary!" Bowen said as he tapped his foot along to Dylann's tune, the others beginning to hum along as their Lord strolled over to Elisud to look over at the froglike creatures as well. "I mean, a good, hard shot from an arrow will send them scampering away."

"You could **kick** one into oblivion." Said Sir Iolo as Gawain nodded his agreement. "They're not as dangerous as the Melusine or the Baphomine race."

"Their magical skill's pathetic." Arthus commented. "All they do is summon flies."

Elisud glanced about. "…do any of you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dylann asked as he stopped fooling with the lute, tilting his head to the side.

"Sort of a…buzzing noise?" Elisud murmured, looking over at the froggits, eyes a little narrowed. "Are they trying to summon their flies?"

"I don't see any over there." The lord remarked as he gazed upon the froggits as well, tilting his head somewhat.

"Really, don't worry, Elisud! The foolish froggits may have numbers but that is all they have. Should any attempt to get within reach of the castle, we shall let loose our arrows on them and they shall perish from the onslaught." Sir Gawain offered to Elisud. "Now come, come!" Gawain rose up too and clasped Elisud on the back. "Try a liiiiittle bit of gambling. You've got a good month to go before you leave us and get started on building the monastery. You can live a little."

"And it's of course an honor to build it with your permission…and money, Lord Llywelyn." Elisud added with a bow. "But if thee don't mind my asking, why did your wife want to help me set it up?"

"I suspect that papal decree from Pope Honorius III has gotten her very grateful towards the Church." Lord Llewelyn mused aloud. "Who am I to deny her? Now come, come! You want to win this gold, don't you?" He asked, shaking the bag about, making it jingle with its many coins. Elisud smiled warmly and sat down on the ramparts as his lord did the same, and Sir Gawain and Iolo began to hum merrily, Dylann beginning to sing as he so often did whilst Bowen and Arthus got out their own respective instruments from nearby bags, a flute and a viol, playing along with Dylann as he closed his eyes and sang joyously.

The song wafted through the air as Elisud and Lord Llywelyn rolled their dice, eager to keep the fun going as the minutes went on, the singing making the group practically glow with a kind of warm, soft light that brought a smile to Elisud's face. Still, even though he was enjoying their singing immensely, he couldn't bring himself to join in, whenever he tried to open his mouth to join in the revelry, he felt himself choke up, his neck tightening.

"If only I had a bit more bravery in me." He sighed sadly. Still, he didn't mind. It was just…nice…to enjoy his time with his wonderful, wonderful comrades here, and nice to have such a good, sweet lord.

"Alas. Snake eyes." His lord sighed as he hung his head, Elisud cheerily holding up the bag of gold he'd just gotten.

"Winning!" He giggled as he held the top open and, one after the other, poured out the winnings for everyone else to take hold of in their palms. "Here you are everyone. My sincerest compliments." He remarked before an idea came to him and he made his way towards the eastern rampart's wall, holding up the still-remaining coins in one hand. "Hello? Froggits?"

The frog monsters all turned to look directly in his direction.

"Look, if I were to give thee some coins, would thoust please leave?" Elisud inquired, the rest of his group looking a bit stunned by this, whilst his Lord sighed somewhat. The froggits glanced about at each other, and then "harrumphed".

"Mayhaps they don't have anywhere to put it. Ah well." Lord Llywelyn said with a shrug. "Not everyone welcomes the virtue of charity." He remarked as Elisud walked over to him, giving him the last bit of gold he had left, a look of surprise popping on the ruler of Wales's face.

"You didn't have to give me any of it back, I lost it, fair and square." Lord Llywelyn remarked.

"You're already giving me so much, sir." Elisud insisted with a beaming smile. "I could never thank thee enough for that but at the very least I can give you a bit of coinage. Mayhaps use it to buy your wife a new dress with my compliments and deepest gratitude?"

Then he heard it once more. "There it is again!" He groaned, looking left and right. "That _buzzing_ noise. Don't all of thee hear it?"

The others glanced around, then Bowen sighed as he rose up, readying his bow and arrow and peering down over the ramparts, looking down the walls. "I don't see any silly froggit flies trying to climb up the walls." He called out. "You sure you're not a-hearin' things, Elisud?" He inquired as Elisud rose up, looking about, holding a hand to his ear and closing his eyes.

"The sound is coming from…over…there." He said, gesturing off towards the west as he quickly made his way to the far side of the castle, strolling over a connected pathway bridge, finally arriving at the other side…and his eyes bulged wide with horror. "OH MY GOD!"

Oh his God indeed, for now he saw what the buzzing noise was. The froggits on the eastern side had been a distraction, for a much **_larger_** frog that was a good three feet tall and with a crown upon its head stood there, eyes burning like coals, its mouth looking almost like it had been sewn shut, ready to burst open and let loose a horrific, soul-shattering croak. Underneath its body were burning, sickeningly bright eyes, and sweeping all about it…was a swarm of flies that were sweeping along the grass, barreling towards the castle.

"SIRS! SIRS! We've got a **massive** , crowned Froggit to the west!" Elisud cried out. "He's unleashing a swarm of flies upon us all!" Elisud cried out as the men in the courtyard below and on the ramparts immediately bolted upright. Cries rang out as they took hold of their weaponry, Lord Llywelyn seeing the froggits on the east racing towards them.

"They are trying to ensnare us in a pincer movement! We must strike back! Ready your positions! Take aim with your bows, my bowmen and fire, fire, fire! Get me some boiling oil to keep them from getting inside the castle!" He roared out as Elisud reached into the folds of his robes, readying the small crossbow he had by his side as he got out his small little quiver of bows. He drew the string back, readying the bow as he took aim, then cringed. No, no, he could maybe hit a FEW flies but he'd never be able to do any proper damage.

"Light your arrows!" Lord Llywelyn yelled as he and others held up torches, the arrowmen lighting up the arrows they were ready to fire as Elisud did the same, nodding at his lord. "We'll be able to strike more down this way! Here they come!"

The flies had almost reached the castle, that horrific, foul, unnatural buzzing filling the air as the Final Froggit let loose a big, loud, ear-splitting GRRROAAAARRRKKKKK of a noise, and Lord Llywelyn cried " **FIRE**!"

THWOOSH-THWOOSH-THWOOSH! Arrows soared forth, rapped in burning flames, barreling down at the flies, others aimed at the onslaught of froggits. The screeches and cries of dying Froggits was oddly human in how they sounded, it was SCARY how much a frog's cry was like a man's. But down they went all the same as the bowmen kept firing, big, large, burning chunks getting torn through the ensuing flies. The horde broke again and again, the attempt to break through the castle defenses appeared to be failing.

But Elisud could see a distinctly smug look on the Final Froggit's face. He kept hopping leisurely towards the castle, and the flies kept coming. Elisud didn't know why he was so smug and cheery but-

Then he realized why as he reached into his quiver and found out that he'd run out of arrows. And evidently, so had most of his friends! The men were clearly out of arrows and now they were trying to pour down boiling oil as the flies soared towards them…but the flies could dodge these far more easily than the arrows, soaring up, away from the boiling oil to shoot down at the men.

"AGGGHHH!" Elisud could see his comrades being swarmed by loads and loads of flies. Though the Froggit assault from their front line had failed miserably, the Final Froggit's flies were succeeding very well. They tried to swat and slash and bat at the insects sweeping all about them, getting in their eyes, biting at their flesh, but though they knocked several of them down, it was proving nigh-impossible to kill the little pests.

Only those who'd put on armor had some degree of protection as they were being kept from being bit…until the flies got into their hoods, forcing folks like Gawain and Iolo to rip their helmets off as quickly as they could, spluttering, coughing, digging at their eyes, the flies trying to eat their eyeballs out!

Elisud gasped in horror, surrounded on all sides by his beset friends, the screaming of the dying and the hurt and the terrified all around him. He had to do something. _Anything!_ Anything at all! He had to get rid of all of these flies! He turned, seeing the Final Froggit now atop the ramparts, a distinctly smug look on its features as it stuck its tongue out mockingly at him.

"Not so high and mighty in your castle _now_ , are you, humans?" It inquired as Elisud felt a shudder go over him, the frog-like monster gazing right at him as…something unexpected happened.

In fact…three things happened in quick succession.

PING! A big, green heart manifested in midair in front of Elisud, and the Final Froggit sneered at him again, Elisud's eyes widening.

A powerful, yet oddly soothing and tender balm of emerald light rose up around Esliud's frame as his vibrant verdant eyes sparkled.

And he covered his face and his head with his arms, flopping onto his knees, wanting the flies and the froggy monster to just go away, as an enormous, pulsating, throbbing shield of green light cascaded forth, shooting out from his body. THA-THWOOOOM! All of the flies around him, and the Final Froggit too, went sailing through the air, the other flies dissolving away in midair as the Final Froggit's concentration was shattered by the sudden burst of what could only be described…

As MAGIC.

Pure Green Magic…from a Soul of Kindness.

TRHROMPH. He hit the ground, groaning, the men gazing in amazement, fear and wonder at Elisud as he looked down at his hands, which slightly glowed with the same green light as the shield, the Final Froggit quickly hopping away from the castle as fast as his little legs could carry him, not wanting to stick around to fight a MAGE as Lord Llywelyn approached Elisud, and the obvious question came from his lips.

"Elisud…how in the name of everything holy did you do that?"

"I haven't any idea." Elisud whispered. "…what did I just do?"

"That's **magic** , my boy. Magic, right there. No doubt about it!" Gawain whispered, bite marks all over his cheeks and left side of his face, whilst poor Bowen was missing one of his fingers, nibbled off by the flies as he had his hand wrapped up, and was cringing in pain. "I've only heard stories of the wonders of the mages."

"Does anyone know anything of what green magic does?" Dylann inquired as Iolo rubbed over his eye. He had a VERY nasty wound, the flies had tried to eat it out of its socket and had eaten the eyelid away.

"It's healing magic. Shielding magic. The sign of a compassionate and kind soul." He whispered as Elisud's mouth fell agape. "Perchance he could heal our wounds."

"I can…try." Elisud murmured.

"Try to think of how you used it just now. What was going through your mind?" Lord Llywelyn asked, putting a hand on Elisud's shoulder as he bit his lip.

"I…just wanted that monster to leave us alone. That thought flared in my mind, in my heart. I just wanted him to GO, and…and something erupted up inside me."

"Concentrate then on…Bowen, for starters. Bowen, your wound!" Lord Llywelyn proclaimed as Bowen raced over to Elisud, the others watching on in awe, as Esliud held onto Bowen's hand. "Think only of healing his wound. Try to picture his healed hand in your mind. All of you, stay silent! Let him focus. Let him breathe. Let him feel the swell of healing light within." The lord reasoned as Esliud took in deep, long breaths, as he closed his eyes, his hands feeling over Bowen's injured hand, picturing the flesh growing back.

Slowly but surely, he felt the surge a-swelling up in him but…no, no, it was more like a soft ripple. A gentle wave, a balm that soothingly slid from his hands in a tender green aura, as Bowen's finger began to grow back, good as new, right before their eyes.

"Tis a miracle." Bowen softly whispered, tears brimming in his eyes. "Tis truly a blessing from God himself that you'd gain this power, at our most dire hour! There can't be any other explanation!"

"Now, now, Elisud has other wounds to treat. But once he has finished, we celebrate." Lord Llywelyn proclaimed firmly as he gently patted Elisud's back. "Esliud, your hands were meant to heal, that much is true. And we'll celebrate tonight with a glorious feast in your name."

"I don't know if I deserve it, sir. Anyone with my gift would surely do the same." Esliud said humbly as he blushed somewhat.

"Then we'll celebrate to God's grace, that allowed us to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Sound better to thy ears?" Lord Llywelyn asked as Esliud warmly smiled back.

"I don't think God would mind that at all, sir. Nor would I. You all honor me with your faith in my new skills, I only hope I can do right by you." He insisted with a bow of his head.

Meanwhile, the Final Froggit had made his way far across the expanse to the west, and had found refuge within the forest, a deep, dark woods indeed. The lack of sun from the quilt of clouds above made the only light from within be illuminated all the more as a burning figure stood in powerful armor, sitting on a big, gigantic dolmen, surrounded by a host of other creatures, all of whom were radically different from each other. There were creatures with only one eye and nasty, foul horns, the eye in the center of their gigantic head. It would blink every once in a while, and shift, and the one eye became two tiny ones with a little, smirking mouth. Another being would have been adorable in its tiny little winged armor, save for the coldness that emanated from its helmet as it spun a spear about. A big, hulking, horned knight of a monster had a gigantic Morningstar resting upon its shoulder, and it turned to the burning, humanoid being in armor, clearing its throat.

"The Regimental Leader of the Froggit Squad's Welsh Platoon 1 is here, sir."

The Final Froggit was allowed to pass by the towering behemoth of a monster as the burning being folded his arms over his chest. Upon examination, the being was…just barely an adult. He looked eighteen, really, with fire for skin, for hair, and lacking a proper face, save for two yellowish, intense spots that resembled eyes.

"How did it go?"

"…miserably." The Regimental Leader sighed. "I'm very, very sorry Lord Grillersby. They had a mage with them. One blast of his shield scattered my flies and sent me flying, and my divisions…well…I have no divisions. They crumbled from the onslaught of arrows, and are now but dust in the wind."

"That is very unfortunate." Grillersby, better known as "Grillby" to his friends, sighed as he hopped off the dolmen and paced back and forth. "Still, we need a good foothold in Wales and killing their king would finally teach the humans they can't keep pushing us around. He's the weakest and easiest to get to of all the rulers of these islands. If we can't get to him, we certainly won't be able to get any of the others!"

"What of the one they call Cu Chulainn, sir?" The Regimental Leader asked as everyone else drew in a deep, harsh breath. "Has the Melusine not proven effective against him?"

"You would think." Grillersby grunted. "…you would think. Unfortunately, it would seem the rumors are true. He's as a demon on the field of battle. Sigh." He hung his head. "I'm going to have to write back to poor Asgore and let him know the bad news. And that means he's going to have to give his **Father** the bad news. And I'll have to deliver it myself to ensure the letter isn't intercepted before it gets to our dear skeletal friends in England."

"We'll see you the day after tomorrow then, sir."

All of them saluted as Grillersby saluted them. "Stay hidden in the forests. Don't let any humans see you. No matter what it takes." He proclaimed, before his feet burst forth with flame, and he shot through the air, propelled by fire and light, blazing like a comet across the sky as he soared towards the border to England. Monsterkind had been stuck with table scraps, with a kingdom divided between human and monster, forced to share cities and borders and resources with a species that distrusted, disliked, despised and denigrated them. If Grillersby could just get one foothold, one bit of land back that could belong to monsters alone…it would be worth it.

Of course, they couldn't make it openly clear what they were up to. As far as the rest of the European nations and kingdoms knew, Monsterkind didn't have any type of organized campaign against any human ANYTHING. And "Grillby" was going to make sure it stayed that way. They'd overtake one nation at a time, slowly but carefully, until they had a proper, real home of their own. A continent of their own. It was just going to take a bit longer than they'd thought.

…

…

…

…that night, Elisud snuck his way out of the castle, and knelt down by the outskirts in his sleeping clothes, his expression mournful and depressed as he picked up what laid in big, huge heaps all about the grass.

Dust. The remains of monsters was always, always dust, for their very bodies were made of magic. Then a monster died, they left no trace of their existence behind, a thought that made Elisud shudder in disgust as he felt the dust seep down from his palm. To think, an entire species that could only do what cremation-esque type burials. _Disgusting_. So…so pagan, so…so backward, it seemed so…cruel. To not even have a body to cry over.

He slowly rose back up, sighing sadly as he turned to head back inside the castle, but then stopped, feeling as though he was being watched. He glanced backwards…

The Final Froggit was a good, long, distance away, and glaring angrily at him. Elisud bit his lip…and then headed back for the castle, drawing up the bridge over the moat as he did so, even as the Final Froggit kept gazing balefully in his direction. He sighed as he entered his room, and then took out a small bit of parchment, beginning to write.

"I've sad tidings. We were attacked by monsters. Froggits, led by one with a crown called a "Final Froggit", as I have been told. I tried to get them to leave peacefully, offering them gold beforehand, but they would not listen to me. I feel terribly guilty about all of this. You've much experience with them. Could there be some way I could reach out to them? Write me back soon, my dearest and most secret friend. Tell me how you fare.

Best of wishes, Toriel, from your friend…

Esliud."

With that, he signed his name on the parchment, sealed it up, and put it away in a satchel. Tomorrow, he'd take it into town and have it mailed. He yearned to hear Miss Toriel's soothing words…she always knew exactly what to say. It had been her who'd given him those books on the Church and inspired him to become a monk just as she was inspired to try and join the church in HER hometown.

He wondered how that was going…


	2. Gaster and Asgore: Battle on Two Fields

**Authors Note:**

**Remember, dont be afraid to leave a review! I really do love getting notifications about them in my mail!**

Wingdings Gaster, better known as W.D Gaster, was currently holding onto his mother's hand as firmly as he could. The little monster glanced quietly up at his mother Arial, a slightly nervous expression on his face as they finally made their way to the marketplace in town, people's talking somewhat quieting down as the two approached a stall. Gaster nervously smiled up at the stall owner, who glanced at him, then at Arial, her blue eyes gazing into the black sockets of the skeletal being before her.

Skeleton monsters, "revenants", that was what was whispered under the breaths of many who were looking upon these people. Little Gaster had a big, floppy, grey sweater and a large red scarf, glasses on his face and with a cute little smile…his mother's smile. You couldn't exactly say he had his mother's eyes, for skeleton monsters didn't truly have "eyes". They had big black eye sockets that could somehow still be so expressive, that it was almost impressive how fluidly their jaws could move and their eyes could flitter. It was as if they really had faces…despite being skinless.

The stall owner had a somewhat pockmarked face and sighed deeply, folding her arms over her chest, her face somewhat sagging along with her breasts. She looked out of shape, sad, and tired, Gaster thought to himself, and a wave of pity welled in him as the woman finally adjusted the little cap she had atop her head, and spoke in the King's English. "What do you want today?"

Arial examined the collection of vegetables and fruit assembled before her in the stand as Gaster, in turn, glanced around at the humans looking at him. They kept stealing glances in his direction, some of them muttering and mumbling in rather baleful voices. It was disappointing to hear them murmuring so coldly. Not half an hour ago, Gaster had been seeing them looking upon that sweet Ms. Toriel with awe and wonder, but when it came to someone like HIM, and to his family-

There were always rumors about his kind. The biggest being that they weren't natural monsters at all, that all of them had been dead humans at one point that, brought to life anew, were now monsters, and because skeletons so deeply reminded humans of themselves, maybe this was why their kind were so feared.

Arial paid up the pockmarked stall woman for several rolls of cabbage and potatoes, with some apples as well for their dinner that week. "Is the cabbage any good today, Mom?" Gaster asked of her.

Arial sniffed at the cabbage, the pockmarked stall woman raising a thick eyebrow up. "…how CAN you smell when you've no nose?"

"All monster bodies are magic, miss." Gaster offered to her. "We can taste when we've no tongues, after all! And your apples are always delicious."

"And the cabbage has a fine, fresh smell today." Arial remarked with a nod. "Here, for your troubles. I know your family's garden has been beset with incidents as of late. My sincerest sympathies." She added, giving an extra gold coin to the pockmarked stall woman. "Thank you kindly for your business, Ms. Burroughs."

The pockmarked stallwoman hesitated, and then she smiled slightly. "Please, call me Anne, Mrs. Arial." She said, nodding as she took the gold coin, and that...was when it happened.

**She** made her way over to the market.

Her green hair flowed through the air alongside her husband's fiery red hair, their locks almost intertwining in the wind that blew. She had blue, somewhat pale skin, and sharp fangs within her jaws, and her eyes were golden, with dark black pupils, yet despite all this…she was a beauty to behold. People's heads were turning, and soft "oh's" rang out through the air as she and her husband held hands. Her tightly-fitting, short-sleeve attire appeared to be some kind of cross between a fisherman's outfit and gladiatorial armor, there were distinct, impressive-looking steely armor plates on careful parts of her body, like at her shoulders and the gauntlets she wore, and the fancy looking belt. But even then, none of it gleamed as beautifully as the necklace she had around her blue neck, golden and softly glittering.

"You've got a ichthys!" Gaster announced aloud in his soft voice. The faintest undertone of his race's natural cadence very slightly lingered in how he spoke, but King John's English came out clearly from his bony mouth as he gazed at the mer-woman and her fisherman husband. "A Jesus fish necklace! That's so pretty!"

He saw she was looking at him, and he blushed visibly and turned away, as the woman's husband stared a bit in surprise.

"…I had no idea your kind could speak such excellent English." He told Gaster, scratching at the blonde hair poking out underneath his cap, blue eyes gazing at his wife's golden ones as she smiled back, then smiled at Gaster.

"Glad you like. I fished it out of the depths of the ocean. Its previous owner shan't need it any longer." She commented as the assembled in the market gazed on, still transfixed by her erotic beauty as she then kissed her husband on the cheek. "In the same place I met my husband, no less. Francis here saved me from a shark. Guess your lot aren't all unchivalrous after all."

"Well, I try, Melusine." Her husband said with a small smile back as he and his wife approached Anne's stall.

"Do tell me Melusine, how's your daughter, Undyne?" The pockmarked stall woman inquired.

"Old enough to finally wrap her little finger around mine." The "mer-woman" said with a big, toothy, fanged grin. "She's STRONG, Anne Burroughs. Truly strong."

"And thankfully, she got my hair!" her husband laughed. "Undyne looks good with her little red locks."

"You know, Francis, you're right. Red IS a good look on us." The mer-woman mused aloud, giving her husband another soft kiss on the cheek, a few of the gentlemen watching all this transpire in the market sighing sadly, or grumbling.

"Lucky dog."

"Some men get all the luck."

"Only thing I'VE ever fished out of the water's a bloody shoe."

Meanwhile, Gaster and his mother were now making their way back home when Gaster took notice of somebody walking not far behind. But he didn't have time to tell his mother as-

THRUMPH. They deliberately bumped into him and knocked him towards the ground. "Oops. Sorry!" The woman remarked with a sneer as she had one arm wrapped around her husband, having used her shoulder to forcibly knock the young skeleton monster to the ground. "You really should watch where-"

A soft, blue glow emanated from Arial's eyes as the woman and her husband's mouths hung open. Gaster was now wrapped in a faint aura of blue light and being gently hovered up, up! He'd been inches from the street and was now being put back on his feet as Gaster turned around and Arial murmured "Quickly, Gaster."

"I'm very sorry. Forgive my clumsiness." He said, reciting rote for rote what he had to, and giving a bow, then gesturing with both arms for the humans to keep walking. The husband and wife couple now had a distinctly dark flush to their cheeks as they sauntered off, Gaster sighing a bit as he wiped his brown upon the grey sweater he had, he and mother making their way down the street, Arial's beautiful-looking, silvery armor glinting in the noonday sun. He really didn't much like having to apologize for what they'd done, but he'd had to do that so many times, it was now almost instinct.

"We'll be home soon." His mother sighed. "Then we can get started on making-"

But it was then that cries and yells rang through the air, and Gaster and Arial smelled the unmistakable scent of flames breaking out. They turned their heads, seeing that houses were going up in flames, billowing black smoke quickly manifesting and choking the sky as people ran left and right in terror.

"Gaster, take our groceries. Head home immediately. NOW."Arial demanded of her son as she forced the groceries into his arms, Gaster concentrating to hover some of them around him so that they didn't all flop out of his arms. Arial barreled her way towards the fire, yelling out loudly as she turned to others. "WATER! We need buckets of water! Water, now!" She cried aloud.

Gaster gazed in awe at the fluidity with which her blue magic was working. She swiftly stretched her arms as big, large buckets of wood shot across the air from stands and stalls and outside the doors of people's nearby houses, sliding down into the closest well, over and over. Her eyes glistened with the same blue light that shone from her gauntleted hands, her armored frame working hard as she used the buckets of water to splash at the fire.

Gaster didn't want to leave his mother behind, to not watch her work, he was in awe at this, his mouth gaping open, people watching nearby, looking astounded and mesmerized. Blue magic was a rarity among monsters. ONLY the skeletons could do it. Nobody else could!

Well…nobody but-

TWHOOOOOSH! Even more enormous buckets of water were being poured down, at the base of the fires that were trying to spread. The air was becoming less choked with foul blackness as Arial turned and saw a long-haired young man who had flowing locks of white hair, his head covered by a tight-fitting cap. He wore the robes of a mage, distinctly grey but with ornate, swirling, fancy trimmings and a belt buckle with ornate designs emblazoned, his booted feet taking a firm position on the ground as he held his soft hands high. His eyes were also glowing a brilliant blue as stood alongside a rather UGLY looking monster that had a face not even a mother could love.

It was 'Gerald'. Gaster cringed, shaking his head back and forth as he quickly began to walk off. The assembled onlookers who had momentarily been awed and amazed by the sight before their eyes were now muttering and mumbling to themselves. Gerald. That type of monster was so…unlikable. Gerald had a rather unusual body type, ooblong, with a big center "hump" in the middle, foul-looking, black-pupiled eyes and unpleasant nostrils and lanky arms and tiny little legs. Everything about him just looked so…disgusting and unnatural. On top of that, he smelled rather foully, and his skin color reminded you of a dead body. Worst of all though…

His kind had done the one thing many monsters absolutely could not forgive. They had joined the Royal Court along with one or two other individual monsters and agreed to teach humans specific types of magic, to help bring out the potential of royal mages like this one apparently was. It was one thing to fall in love with a human, monsters could almost forgive that, they could overlook it, even understand it to a degree. Love was, after all, blind. Love was love. And being friends with a human, well…you could understand that too if one had interests that aligned but…

To have your family line side with the government that barely did anything to help monsters that lived in human territory? Disgraceful! And to think, the one selling these magical secretsto humans was from THAT race, a monster race that had one power and one power alone…slightly amplifying the abilities of others around them.

Gerald's family was so…

_Pathetic_. It was a joke among monsters. They only made your abilities last for an extra fifteen seconds. The "Fifteen Second Failures". They couldn't throw fireballs, couldn't move boulders, couldn't manifest bombs or spears, they weren't super strong, or fast, they just made other people's powers work a bit better and longer.

Gaster "hmmphed", as the visage of his mother and Gerald and the human mage was now long behind him. The mere idea of Gerald made him cringe. He couldn't forgive somebody who had insisted the entire family line work for the royal court. It felt like…like whoring yourself and your kind out.

The fire had finally died out, and people were milling away, the royal mage's grey eyes looking over at Arial as she glanced down at Gerald.

"…I had it under control." She mumbled quietly. "I did not exactly need your help."

"I think the Blums would beg to differ, Mrs. Arial." Gerald offered as he gestured at the small family who was huddled in front of their barely-still-standing house, which was still heavily charred, though not utterly ravaged as the human mage approached and held out a hand.

"Is there anyplace you can stay while you get back on your feet, Mr and Mrs. Blum? Gerald and I can help-"

"Look, we're very grateful you helped, but…" Mr. Blum hesitated as he put one arm around his wife, who cringed a bit. "We, er…we don't really want any charity from you, Leopold. Or you, Mr. Gerald."

"We'll be fine, we'll…find someplace to stay on our own." Mrs. Blum muttered, looking away from Gerald and the mage, and off to the side as the mage's expression fell. He looked genuinely hurt, glancing from them to Arial to Gerald before finally putting his hands in his pockets.

"…very well then. Perhaps I shouldn't bother in the future. And I'd wash your clothes if I were you." He added as he turned away from them and began to swiftly walk off, Arial calling out after him as Gerald began to head after the mage as well.

"You are being incredibly petty."

"I'M being petty?!" The mage now wheeled about, and Arial flinched, the young man's face was positively livid. "I saved their home and I was offering help for absolutely NOTHING and neither you nor them could even give me so much as a THANK YOU for what I did." He said, glaring angrily at the Jewish couple as Mr. Blum tried to return the dark glare.

"I thought your Christian teachings taught you that virtue was its own reward, Leopold. Doing good for virtue's sake is supposed to be the very purpose of-"

"Don't hide behind that, you just don't want to thank me because I'm one of THEM, the same group of "them" that my master is in!" The royal mage snapped, Mr. Blum flinching as Mrs. Blum grasped her husband tightly, the young man wheeling around at Arial. "You don't CARE that I tried to help, all you see is the "other" you dislike, rather than what I actually am. How's that any damn different from the people that call you 'revenant' in whispers as you walk past them, claiming your race only exists because you're dead humans brought to life, Mrs. Arial? You like your son Gaster hearing THAT word used over and over at him?"

Ariel, if it were possible, would have turned paler than normal. "Th-that's not…y-you don't…we monsters have to endure such cruelty every day-"

"Boo hoo, so do we, but we get it from both sides." The royal mage snapped, gesturing at Gerald. "At least your type sticks by each other. **Nobody** sticks by us. Not even the royal court. It's an arrangement. The moment we're not useful to them anymore, they'll toss us aside. We accepted that, because we'd rather have cynical acceptance from them, than disdain from people like you." The royal mage growled angrily, shaking furiously, looking like he was seconds from decking Arial across the face. "You have a nice day. And don't bother calling for help from Gerald and I anymore. We won't bother if you can't even bring yourself to say "thank you". You UNGRATEFUL PILES OF DUNG."

And with that, he stormed off, Gerald quietly sighing and shaking his head. "My poor student Leopold is still not quite used to his life."

Arial "harrumphed". "And he's got quite the mouth on him, Gerald. You could stand to teach him manners along with mag-"

"His poor behavior doesn't eclipse your own, Arial." Gerald remarked. "At least the court puts on a smile, fake as it is, when they see us. Your ilk spit on me and disowned my family. Don't act like your hands are clean. " He coldly intoned at Arial, making her flinch a bit. "There's no such thing. Especially not from skeleton monsters. Good day."

With that, he trotted off in the direction the mage went, leaving Arial and the Blums alone to silently stew and think over what they'd just had thrown in their face, the final wisps of fire smoke softly lingering above their heads.

…

…

…

… "Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN!"

The wind was soaring across the plains, the skies clear as day as the chanting filled the air. Scottish warriors with shining armor stood side by side, the plating gleaming in the morning light. They weren't really wearing much on their legs, but that was for a simple reason…what mattered was speed. So they had more of an armored SKIRT than proper plate leggings. Many were also wearing chain mail on their frames and looked suitably impressive, though, admittedly…as nice as their glorious green and red colors were, they weren't looking nearly as good as the monsters that stretched wide across the valley before them.

The monsters were many in number, with shining, glittering plate armor. Their helms and various full-form helmets shone silver in the light of day as many carried sharp, piercing spears and swords, or lifted their shields high to display the royal symbol of the Monsters, three triangles, one slightly raised in the middle, the other on equal footing with one another. The monsters had on clearly high quality armor, and their eyes gazed out at the human that stood in front of the assembled Irish forces.

He was IMPOSSIBLE to miss. Especially since everyone behind him and around him kept shouting his name.

"Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! Cu Chulainn! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN! CU CHULAINN!"

He had rather dark-toned skin for an Irishman, with eyes that were piercing, sharp, and grey. His hair was brown at its base, in the middle, it was a rather fiery, vivid red, and a fine crown of blonde hair at the top, and smoothly flowing down his head. Each long loose-flowing strand hung down in shining splendor, down his back, over his shoulders, with adorable dimples, he looked eternally youthful in a way that the Greeks would have admired. Cu Chulainn was, in a word…beautiful. Simply, absolutely beautiful, with his well built frame, majestic chest armor, and the rounded golden helm atop his head glowed like the sun itself in the morning light as slid his sword out of its scabbard and raised his shield off his back, standing at the ready as he looked out over the expanse…

There his opponent was. Asgore stood there, the strong-bodied male púca clad in armor befitting the son of the King of Monsters. He was a magnificent sight indeed, his gaze firm, his jaw set, powerful and well-built, eyes as blue as a Robin's egg, yet even so, despite appearing to be the pinnacle of his race's physical perfection, his white fur softly blowing in the wind, Cu Chulainn could see he was shaking very slightly as he turned to address his own troops.

"My father's made this very clear. We're going to take back our land. Take back the country that's been stripped from us, one inch at a time. I had hoped it would never, ever come to this. But the people of Ireland aren't cooperative at all, and if they continue to deny us our most basic of rights, the right to a home of our own, well…that isn't something I can abide by!" Prince Asgore proclaimed. "I know so many of you may be disgusted and saddened by this…but I know many, many more of you want to give these thieves a good old THUMPING!" Asgoreroared out, holding his enormous spear high as it caught the gleam of the sun. "So today! Today is the day we show the humans we can give as good as we get! Today, we reclaim our freedom, our land! Today we honor my Father's wishes!"

"Men…" Cu Chulainn, in turn, turned around to his own assembled troops. The warrior mage's eyes glittered as he spoke. "…I'm not much for big speeches. At all. I'm sure some of you might want me to give one, but most of you probably just want me to get out there and show the monsters why I am who I am. So. How about I go do that while Asgore the bore is still going on and on?" He inquired in his rather rough, somewhat punkish voice.

The man all grinned, and then began to bang their swords and shields and other weapons against the shields they had, as Cu Chulainn took off, running, holding his sword and shield high as he tore across the valley plains, letting out a roar of delight, Asgore wheeling around.

"Ask not what your nation can do for-oh! OH, he-he's actually coming right now! Very well! He asks for Hell…let us give it to him!" Asgore proclaimed, as he held his spear up. "CHAAAAAARGE!"

Bunnies clad in powerful chest plate armor let out squealing cries of delight, clanging their maces and swords against their shields as they surged forth. Dragons roared powerfully, tails slightly swishing about like an excited dog as they raced at Cu Chulainn! The merpeople had their tridents and short swords ready, spinning them as they barreled forth, aided by the disturbingly-cheery front line of skeletal warriors who were holding maces and clubs high in the air.

They all ran towards Cu Chulainn as he, in turn, readied his sword…and a distinctly powerful blue glow emanated from his eyes. THA-THROOOOOM! Like thunder clapping, he leapt up, high, high in the air, propelled by the most basic of all human magic…blue magic, master of what would be called gravity. He twirled about, and before their eyes, his own pupils now flashed a new color, the color…

Orange.

He landed down, striking with his sword, a SHAKKA-KAA-THROOOOOM noise filling the air, a shockwave of orange energy cascading forth, as the first wave of monstrous soliderswas sent spiraling back. The mer-people, however, had seen this coming…and so had one particular skeleton.

Garamond held his enormously, freakishly big sword high as he grinned with pride, the powerfully-built skeleton's majestic scarf flapping in the wind as the mer-people managed to close in around Cu Chulainn. KLANG-KLANG-KLANG! Weapons smacked and clashed against each other, echoing through the air as Cu Chulainn grinned devilishly, and twirled about. His blade glowed with the same orange magnificence as before, one eye orange, the other…blue!

He held up his shield, and it shot forward, slamming hard into one of the mer-people, knocking him clean into his compatriot as they both crashed down, and his sword sliced off the arm of another merman who had tried to cut off Cu Chulainn's head. SCHLLLUGHK! The merman shrieked, reeling back as Cu Chulainn ducked just in time to avoid another swipe from several short swords, and he sliced upwards at another merman with his orange-blazing blade. KRA-KRRRRRKK! The chain mail on her frame was torn away in an instant and he kicked her into her compatriots as he turned to Garamond.

"This time…you won't catch me off-" Garamond insisted as he swung his enormous sword at Cu Chulainn…

CLAAAAAAAAANG!

The shield had returned. Cu Chulainn's left eye blazed blue, the other still burning orange as he lifted up his own sword, forcing Garamond back a few steps. Garamond growled, and pushed forward, trying to shove Cu Chulainn down to his knees. "On your knees, human! Today you pay for cutting my foot off, Cu Chulainn!" He growled, as the metallic boots he wore glittered a bit in the midday morning sun.

Cu Chulainn remembered the moment like it was yesterday. Although more accurately, it had happened a month had been racing at him, swinging his sword…and Cu Chulainn had ducked just in time and swiped with his own, taking Garamond's right foot clean off. Now the skeletal monster had put up extra thick metal boots and gauntlets to ensure this couldn't happen.

CRRRRNNNGGG! Cu Chulainn flinched a bit. He could see the other monsters were coming closer and closer, Asgore himself was following right behind, and Garamond had clearly been training, he was pushing so hard! It was becoming an effort just to stand up and push back against the skeleton monster, the Irish war hero flinching as his blade and shield combined clasped together, against Garamond's freakishly large blade. He grunted, Garamond's black eyes narrowing.

"My leg hurts every day for what you-"

Cu Chulainn could try and force the sword back with a big, final burst of strength. He could reel back in an attempt to dodge. But instead…he did something else. He'd never had much success at this before, he was amazing at doing it to himself, but other people, with their own souls? Much more difficult.

"Garamond? Shut up."

BOINK!

Garamond was blue now. He stupidly stared forward for a second…and then he was shot backwards at high speed. THWOOOOOOOOOOSH! Across the grass he went, slamming into the line of monsters that had been racing to his aid as Asgore managed to duck just in time. He cringed as he saw Garamond struggling to lift himself up along with the tangled mess of monsters he'd landed in, and turned to see Cu Chulainnsmiling a bit in surprirse.

"I'll be damned, it worked." The warrior mage commented, before holding his sword at Asgore, tilting his head a bit, and then letting loose a loud whistle that rang through the air. With this signal, his men shot forward, barreling at the caught-off-guard and still-recovering monsters, as Cu Chulainn readied his sword and shield and firmly gazed into Asgore's eyes, taking on a battle stance.

Asgore knew what this Irish battlefield master wanted. He had to end this quickly, or Cu Chulainn would do that…THING he did when he got mad. That disturbing, frightening, terrifying thing that made human and monster alike refer to him as more Demon than man.

And so Asgore swung his sword as it CLA-KLAAAANG'ed against Cu Chulainn's own. The striking metallic echoes of swordplay were filling the air, the monsters barely able to get back on their feet as the Irish warriors finally reached them. The first casualties of the battle had finally been inflicted, and the humans could claim first blood. Or rather, the humans could claim first DUST, for a spearman forcibly shoved his weapon through the stomach and out the back of a merman warrior who had swung too fast and early at the Irishman before him. The merman dropped his short swords, faintly gurgling, as if drowning on dry land, and then-

He began to dissolve away into naught but dust before the Irishman's eyes. Twas the fate of all monsters…upon death, they were as dust.

"Keep at it!"

"We've got them on the run!"

"Get 'em!"

"Gotcha now!"

The jubilant cries of the humans were filling the air. They were buoyed by these early victories and inspired to push even harder. The formations of the monster side were collapsing right before Asgore's eyes as Cu Chulainn and he kept locking swords. "You're clearly just…ERGH! As strong as they've always said!"

The dark-skinned Irishman was silent, just looking back at Asgore, who cringed a bit. His arms were getting tired, the sheer force of will emanating from Cu Chulainn's very eyes unsettled him, and combined with how difficult it was to parry and block the human's moves, Asgore was getting very, very tired. He wasn't exactly **used** to fighting for so long on the front line.

"You're not…going to…even say anything?" Asgore finally asked, sweat beginning to dribble down his brow, the monster seeing Cu Chulainn's brow furrowing ever-so-slightly. "Nothing at all, Cu Chulainn?"

"I speak when there's words in my heart to speak, Asgore." He finally intoned. "I'm not in the mood to talk on the field of battle-"

An arrow that had been shot at another soldier went KA-BONK! Clean off his shield, and then sliced itself across Cu Chulainn'sneck. SPLOOOSH! A spray of red blood gushed forth, Cu Chulainn's eyes going wide, and in that instant, everyone on the battlefield froze up. Monsters who'd been inches away from their own death were spared as their would-be killers gazed upon the sight of the dark-skinned Irishman putting a hand to his neck. Blood dribbled out the side, drip-drip-dripping down as Asgore grinned.

"HA!" He could feel euphoria welling up in him, sheer joy rising before he remembered-

Oh dear. Cu Chulainn was looking…mad.

And when he got mad…he _changed_.

Cu Chulainn's wound wasn't that bad, it only looked awful. A skin flap, really, slightly peeled form his neck at just the right angle. He ripped it off, and his eyes began to change, as seven powerfully frighteningly piercing sharp pupils manifested within. They circled around and around, forming into an immensely big, demonic, diamond-shaped pupil of an eye as his skin became a horrifying burning reddish color, and his hands became pointed nails, and his body bulged in muscle, his teeth as daggers, his voice a horrific, distorted roar of a thing that brought chills to everyone there.

"WHO! SHOT! THAT! ARROW?!" He roared out, eyes barreling about. The monsters and the men present wisely decided to do the only thing that made sense. Immediately back away from everyone with a bow and arrow. One enterprising young lad had seen the danger coming and the keen rabbit monster had tossed his bow and his arrows away and plucked up the short shield and sword of a fallen comrade to act innocent as Cu Chulainn advanced towards the archers.

"…I…think we need to call for a tactical retreat." Asgore announced aloud.

"Oh, you can all leave, Asgore." Cu Chulainn intoned quietly, dangerously, cracking his knuckles. "Soon as whomever shot that arrow steps up."

The archers gulped. The Irish forces cringed in sympathetic pity as they began to move back, and Asgore cleared his throat. "Who, um…who shot it, then?" He inquired. "Let's, uh…let's just get it over and done with."

He was NOT going to let them do a "Spartacus". He knew that if he did, this…demon…would just kill them all. He couldn't let so many men die.

Luckily he wouldn't have to, as Cu Chulainn took notice of the fact that the arrow had a specific tail. And it matched, at the moment, only ONE archer's arrows, the other having been the first kill of the battle. The quivering, terrified skeleton, Courier, cringed, looking even tinier than normal, eye sockets wide with terror as Garamond stepped forward.

"Don't you dare-"

Cu Chulainn backhanded him. Asgore caught him just in time as the monsters took the opportunity to barrel out of there. None of the humans chased after them as the demon stood before Courier, who's slightly baggy archer's robes were shaking like a leaf along with the rest of his skinny frame.

"On. Your. _Knees_." Cu Chulainn growled. Courier quivered, slowly getting upon his knees as the demon grabbed hold of his shoulder with one hand, and raised his other up to the poor skeleton monster's neck. "Satisfy my curiosity, I never got to ask this of Garamond. Your kind's heads. Do they come off?"

"I…d-don't k-know, s-sir, we've, um…n-not really t-tested what happens if s-someone just tries to…p-pop them off…" Poor Courier the archer squeaked out, his life flashing before his eyes, memories of training with Garamond, nights around the dinner table with his mother Arial, bemoaning the loss of their father Segoe, nights spent on Grandpa Gothic's lap with Gaster…

"Well. Good news for you, then." Cu Chulainn murmured in that roaring, distorted, creepily dark voice. "If it **does** just…pop off…and can come back on…you get to live."

He tightened his grip on Courier's skull, and the skeleton began to SCREAM.


	3. Red in Tooth and Claw

It was a beautiful, beautiful day in the Otani region of Kyoto, Japan, and the sun shone bright and lovely, its gentle rays beaming down on a fine, ornate-looking Buddhist temple that sat at the front of a natural pathway that led deep into lush woods. A stone path had been laid out, leading up a large pair of stairs to the temple and, sitting inside in the main hall as various tapestries hung upon the walls showing off proud accomplishments of Buddha and his beloved were two men. One was a rather pot-bellied, fat, short-bearded fellow who had a shaved head and a large black Buddhist robe, who was in the middle of serving his guest a fine bit of tea. He had deep brown eyes, much like his beardless, slightly big-nosed companion, another fellow Japanese who had hair tied in a bun as he bowed back in appreciation of the fine Green tea being served.

"Thank you so kindly for this. It's been too long, Honen-Bo Genku."

"Yoshi, do tell me. How goes the writing at the Imperial Palace? What have you heard?"

"Everyone's rather excited. We've got  **dragons**  coming in to see Shogun Yoriie himself!" Yoshi said as he sipped his tea. "We're all very, very pleased. There's been squabbling for years since the 100 year peace ended for Northern Japan. If they agree to help, then maybe we can unite all of the warring factions of Japan and bring everyone under a singular, glorious rule to head into the future with our heads held high!"

Genku just shrugged, and sipped his tea. "As long as whomever is in charge allows me to teach my students of the Buddha and acts justly and fairly for the people, I've no personal preference. I only hope any leader is one who would follow a path that Buddha would be proud of."

"I have to say, Buddhism is doing very splendidly lately, there's so many people founding schools. But enough about me, Genku! Tell me, how goes the current crop of students?" Yoshi inquired as he looked over at a large sign that showed off the various names of students currently at Genku's school, not far from the door out to the backyard, and also not far from a beautiful tapestry showing a Japanese man aiming a spear down at a monster. This tapestry was unique though, for though he was trying to drive a spear through a "youkai", a shapeshifting monster that could pass as human, alongside the man wasn't just a platoon of other warriors fighting youkai…but a positively beautiful-looking Japanese dragon that was resplendent above the fighter's heads, roaring proudly, lightning flashing from his body, several bolts striking the Youkai.

The shapeshifting species was not well liked by the Japanese at all. In fact, many Human cultures really, REALLY did not like monsters who could magically pretend to be human. They wanted a clear difference, rightly or wrongly. Genku felt it was because people didn't want to look into a face that was like their own…only for it to become something far, far different. Nobody liked seeing their reflection made foul. It made him pause to think about this.

But as Yoshi brought up his students he was snapped from thinking about the youkai, and about how beautiful humans found species like the dragons and mer-people to be, broken out of thinking about the adorable "temmie" race as the mention of his current students interrupted his thought process, and he sighed.

"They're fine." He said rather quickly.

"Just…fine? Have you any problems with them, Genku?"

"No, not these students, Yoshi, not these students."

"I'm sure you must have some fascinating stories to tell about them!"

"Not THIS bunch." Genku muttered, Yoshi noticing a visible bitterness faintly echoing in his tone, neither of the two aware that a rather portly, sort of fat-necked, pot-bellied, ponytailed young Japanese man was listening in just outside, the rather crumbled remains of his most recently graded test on the advanced tenets of Buddhism in one hand as he listened closely.

"Is something wrong with them? You sound rather disappointed, Genku. Please, tell me." Yoshi insisted, sipping some more green tea as Genku took in a long, deep breath.

"The thing is…they're all fine. Just…fine. And that's it! None of them are very good. None of them are exceptional, or amazing. They do their work in a satisfactory way. They're deferential and well-behaved. They do not fight, they do not steal, and they do not get rowdy. They're neither hot, nor cold. They're neither poor, nor incredible. They're simply…average. That's it! Average. Nothing I would call special, Yoshi, and in truth, I honestly believe I would rather have a fool or an idiot or a bully to tutor than a bland bunch like I have. I can WORK with the fool, the idiot, the bully, I can improve them and make them better, and that becomes a story, they can become something they and I can be proud of, but despite my best efforts, the current students I've got are simply just…fine. And that's all they ever seem to be. Just…fine."

With that, he leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "I never thought I would say this, but they're the first students I have that make me feel like I failed."

The ponytailed student sighed quietly, looking back over his barely passing grade in his other hand, then crumbled the test into his pocket and made his way deep, deep into the forest. The soft twittering of birds filled the air as he kept his hands in his robes pockets, head hung low, rather big nose sniffling a bit as he shook his head back and forth, finally arriving at his "thinking stump", a stump of a tree a good distance into the woods that he plopped down on, head resting in his hands as a little bunny rabbit hopped its way over to him, the soft tweeting of birds getting louder as several sat down on nearby tree branches.

The ponytailed Buddhist student sighed as he closed his eyes to think like he liked to do, far, far away from everyone else. But whenever he sat down to think, what came to mind was…

"This is awful." Seiichi murmured, the 12 year old Japanese boy deeply sighing. "A week of staying up late to study and this is it.  **This**  is the best I can do." He grumbled as he took out his test results again and then ripped them up, looking over the pieces in his palm. "Sometimes I wish I was a fox or a rabbit or a bird or a snake or somethin'. THEY don't gotta take no tests."

And as he mentioned every single animal, the pieces of the ripped up test formed into imitations of the creatures, levitated up by blue magic, as the young mage sighed and then finally stuffed the pieces into his pocket as the bunny looked up at him and he knelt down, rubbing over its head as gently as possible.

"You're looking extra fluffy today, Swift Foot." He told the bunny with a small smile. He reached into his robes, pulling out some small little bread pieces he saved, setting them down for the rabbit to nibble on. "Seeing you always makes me feel a bit sunnier inside. Glad I can count on your fluffy little face-"

It was then that he heard a rustling in the woods, and he whipped his head in its direction as he saw a distinctly long-haired, pale-skinned being who had pointed ears and slender fingers walking forth, their androgynous form looking him over, resting one hand on a tree, dark eyes narrowed as the other pulled out a samurai sword from a scabbard on its back.

"One of HIS students. Damn Buddhist bastards." The youkai growled out in a distinctly manly, gruff voice. "I'm so fucking sick of your type walking around like you OWN these forests, these were our lands long before you were a twinkle in your parent's eyes!"

"Sir, I don't want no trouble." Seiichi insisted, holding his hands up. "Really!"

"Shut! UP." The youkai growled. "I've heard enough excuses from you humans! Your stupid squabbling amongst yourselves is ruining everything beautiful about the land I loved!"

Seiichi took off running, barreling through the forest as quickly as he could, but he was not exactly in good shape. He was rather short, after all, and being tubby, he was quickly losing his breath as he kept racing through the woods, deeper and deeper into its depths, feebly wheezing out cries of "HELP! HEEEELP" every ten seconds. "SOMEBODY!" The youkai, meanwhile, just kept a steady pace, his sword gleaming in the filters of light that flitted down through the forest canopy above.

And then…then it happened. Poor Seiichi finally ran out of breath, collapsing down, flopping onto the forest floor, moaning, barely able to stand up as the youkai stood over him, sword held high. "With this, I can finally begin to avenge-" The youkai said.

Then, a loud, immense, glaring roar. He looked up, gaping in shock, a BEAR tumbling towards him. The youkai gasped in surprise, holding the sword up as the bear raced at him from the west, but then-

SCRAAATCH!

"AAHH!"

A crow had sailed on down, various other birds now assembling in the trees, calling out, loudly screeching and yelling in their birdsong as the youkai clawed at his scratched-over face…and the bear  **slammed**  into him, knocking him clean against a tree. KA-KROOOOOOM! He pile-drived through it, then another, then another, flopping to the ground, barely conscious as the bear "harrumphed"…and turned to Seiichi.

"You alright, Seiichi?"

"I'm…okay." Seiichi rose up, and dusted himself off, looking over at the barely-conscious youkai. "You didn't hit him too hard, did you?" He asked quietly. "I hope he isn't seriously hurt."

"He did attempt to kill you, Seiichi." The crow in the tree said, as the small group of doves cooed in agreement.

"Oh yes, oh, yes! Bad, BAD youkai! Bad! BAD!" They all said at once, as a pair of tanuki raccoons made their way through the trees, led by the bunny that Seiichi had been petting, a snake slithering around a nearby tree to peer down at the murmuring, groaning youkai.

"Oh, what a rotten thing to do. You've always been so kind to us, Seiichi."

"You totally changed our minds about how we thought humans could be."

Indeed he had. Seiichi might not have been good at the advanced tenets of Buddhism, a passable mage at best when it came to the basic blue magic that all human mages could do, but he did have one incredibly potent and powerfully useful talent. He, like the future namesake, was a "Dolittle". He could talk to the animals! Even animals like insects or fish or the like he could speak to, though, in general, they didn't have much to say.

Things had started out primitively. He'd been in class, trying to figure out the "Noble Eightfold Path" on a test. He always kept messing up the precepts they represented, the habits of Buddhism to adhere to. "Okay…Right understanding. I know this one. It's…um…it's…ah! Bad acts and thoughts got consequences and so do GOOD acts and thoughts. Um…what's next, uh…um…"

Then a fly had landed down on his hand, and he'd groaned. "Ugh, go away." He grumbled at the fly, snapping at it under his breath in a way he'd never, ever done so before. The stress of the test was making his brain all fried and frizzy, it felt like he was buzzing all over. And then…

The fly buzzed on back. "Don't squish!"

The other students had turned around to see Seiichi yelp, and flop backwards, chair and all, falling to the floor as Genku sighed deeply and pinched the space between his eyes, Seiichi gaping as the fly swerved up, up into the air, soaring off. "Don't squish! Don't squish!" It said as it landed back down on Seiichi's nose, and tasted over it. Maybe, perhaps, Seiichi needed to take a bath. But still, realizing he could comprehend animal language had opened up many doors! He'd moved on to other insects, like a spider in the corner, spinning its web. Then several ants. Then the koi fish in the pond in the school's backyard, and then, small animals like, say, the bunnies and the tanucki. Then birds, then the occasional snake, and finally, the larger animals.

For once in his life, Seiichi finally felt like he'd done something really, really well. That he'd done something truly special.

It was a nice feeling. A kind of soft, gentle warmth that crept up your body and felt like a big hug from the inside out as much as from the outside, one that couldn't help but bring a smile to your face, and brought about one single, soft moment of absolute peace.

Nirvana.

"You ssssssure you don't want me finishing him?" The snake asked, glancing back at Seiichi as he vigorously shook his head, jolted out of thinking about the past, out of Nirvana.

"N-No. The most basic teachings of the Buddha say killing's  **really**  wrong!" Seiichi insisted as the other animals looked about at each other.

"We're very glad your "Buddhist" teachings ask that you show such love and kindness to all of us, and being able to actually speak to us, to  **hear**  us, we're truly grateful for that as well. You're probably the nicest human we've ever known." The bear spoke up with a sigh. "But it might be easier on you to just let us finish him. Then he can't come after you."

"I  **have**  to stick to the Buddhist ideals. Maybe you guys can't get it because you ain't human but…I mean…" Seiichi nervously put his ponytail slightly in his mouth, chewing on it a bit in the way he did when he was nervous. He always had such a hard time putting big concepts out there, trying to explain how they worked. It made his brain twist and turn up into knots. Finally, he thought he had a good way to describe what he was trying to get across.

"You animals have…instincts, right? Like, they're just all ingrained in you, you just KNOW them, and they're a part of you that you can't get rid of, and they're really important. You wouldn't be "you" without them. For us humans, our ideals, sticking to them? We wouldn't be "us" without them. If somebody doesn't have any ideals they can hold onto and hold up, then…then they're just…they're not human! They're not even animals, cuz an animal has to stick to an instinct, somebody who won't stick to anything, won't hold onto anything and just does  _whatever_ , then…they're  _ **scum**_!" Seiichi finished. "Does that make sense?"

The animals glanced about at each other. They sort of got where he was coming from, even if they didn't fully comprehend. "We kind of get it, yessss." The snake said, sighing. "Very well, dear one. We will spare this youkai. For now." He intoned, the youkai groaning as the bunny pushed the sword the youkai had over to Seiichi.

"You should take his weapon, though."

"Okay. I'll give it to Master Genku." Seiichi reasoned. "We can give it perhaps to somebody as a gift. Maybe when the dragons come in they might pass by and we can offer it to them, I hear they love collecting Japanese swords and weapons!" He remarked with a rather dumb grin before an idea hit him. "Say, you guys ain't ever told me what the dragons are like. I've only heard rumors and whispers about them and what they look like, are they really so incredible?"

"They're…they're  _okay_." The crow intoned, as the many doves in the trees nodded, each one speaking individually.

"Not bad, not bad."

"Charming enough."

"Bit conceited sometimes."

"Kind of haughty, but personable."

"Very nice fashion sense."

"But they do eat people."

"Can't forget that."

Seiichi gulped. "What?"

"Nobody's told you?" The animals all glanced about at each other in a rather surprised, nervous way. "Dragonsss can be  **very** nice, very friendly, and most of them love how your culture adores and worshipssss them. But their diet consists of a lot of meat." The snake intoned. "We serpents are cousinssss to their ilk, and as such, we know. We KNOW they're not above eating people, or monstersssss. Whole and alive. There'sss even been some cases when entire towns vanished into the maw of a dragon."

Seiichi turned pale. He quivered like a mouse caught in the talons of an owl as the other animals glanced at each other, then at him. "…on second thought, I kinda hope they don't come here." He finally squeaked out.

…

…

…

…"So tell me how these "puca" look."

"I'll do you one better, Hadiya. I'll  **show**  you." Erimentha grinned, the Greek woman's dark skin soft to the touch as she and Hadiya sat together on a stone bench at Constantinople, not far from the Hagia Sophia. She took out the quill pen she had in one ear, and took out a bottle of ink from one of her many belt pouches, humming as she licked the end, then dipped it in the ink, and began to draw on a large scroll of parchment she'd gotten out from her bag. Her hair fell down in thick locks from her back, a nice fringe over her forehead, with her eyes a lovely shade of Trojan blue to match the clothing she now wore, her little toes wiggling in their sandals as she furiously drew.

It was  **astounding**  how quickly Eri could draw, but then again…Erimentha was a mage. With the use of magic, anything was possible, and her unique Purple magic allowed her to bring vivid images to life as she smiled in delight, holding up the parchment to Hadiya. "See?"

"They really DO look like goats!" Hadiya remarked, her head utterly shaved, wearing a very lovely matching yellow outfit much like Erimentha, almost exactly the same in design, with a black belt and sandals just like Eri. Several nasty scars were running down her back as she blinked her unusual green eyes, the young African woman gazing over the parchment as the picture of the "puca" trotted about, spinning around, the faintly humanoid goat-like monster smiling up at her. "It's so cute! How lovely."

"Uhoh. More of them." Eri's eyes went wide, she could see some people coming out of the Hagia Sophia and quickly focused, the moving picture on the parchment turning normal as Hadiya turned and frowned darkly and furiously at the men emerging from the Hagia Sophia with several barely-clothed women, all of them singing loudly and proudly. Hadiya's eyes narrowed coldly as she looked at those whores and the even more disgusting people paying them to be in that church.

Hagia Sophia had been beautiful. A majestic, enormous dome in the middle with somewhat smaller domes all about, towers piercing high into the sky, made of majestic brick and mortar. Mosiacs had filled the place, beautiful paintings of adorable cherubs had been put inside, Christ upon the dome, a burial cloth of Christ would get shown on Fridays, they'd even put in a new depiction of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, between apostles Peter and Paul, and upon the enormous side arches within were painted the words of the prophets and teachers of the church, and all, ALL in beautiful, splendid colors that made one weep to behold it.

And the smell. Beautiful incense, soft and lilting through the air. It had been that smell that had attracted Hadiya to the place after sneaking away from the boat she'd stowed away on. She had left her home behind, wanting to see the world, to hear of the beauty that laid beyond, and there, there in that church, she had let the incense and the candles wash over her. Though she didn't worship the God that lived there, she had found a "god" of her own as she'd seen Erimentha, who was sitting before the Virgin Mary, head bowed, quietly praying.

They'd started to talking, and Hadiya had told her about how the incense had reminded her of the smells of her home, of how the scent wafted along the long grass back on the plains of Nigeria, especially just after the rains, and Erimentha had listened, nodding gently as they sat in pews. Their hands had touched. Had held. Had laid in each other's for a long…long time.

Long even after they'd left the church.

Hagia Sophia had been special to Hadiya. She'd grown to see it as a living, breathing thing, a special place, full of life, and a sense of divine majesty and beauty, and that smell…that sweet smell.

Now it smelled like wine and piss and fire and ash. The Fourth Crusade had swept into it and those disgusting crusaders had done  _ **foul**_  things inside. They had smashed up the silver screens showing icons of the Eastern churches, ripped apart the icons and holy books, and put…put WHORES on the patriarchal throne within to sing coarse songs as they drunk themselves into a stupor with wine, using the Church's holy vessels. And you didn't want to  **know**  what they did to the priest's offices there.

"I want to kill them all." Hadiya said, her voice cold and furious and hateful. She was mad at the whores but not as mad as she was at the crusaders. Those women couldn't truly help it. This was just a job for them. The crusaders had CHOSEN to do this.

"Tell you what." Eri sighed gently as she patted over Hadiya's shoulder. "I've got an idea. Why don't I treat you to a nice bottle of wine and we can relax and have a drink and forget all about them for one day?" She asked. "And I'll draw your picture. The  **lewd** version, for kicks, and then you can try and draw mine."

"Oh, I'm terrible at that. I don't know." Hadiya sighed with a pout as Eri chuckled a bit.

"I'll do it bliiiiindfoldeeeed?" She added. "And that's not the  _only_  thing tonight I'll do blindfolded."

Hadiya felt a smile come to her face. "Okay. You know what? I'd like that." She said, giving Eri a quick little kiss on the lips, the softness of the touch sending a faint spark through them as they rose up, Hadiya now putting her hand on Eri's shoulder as they made their way off for the market, the bustling noises of people at the stalls filling the air.

Unfortunately that day was TAX day, and that meant lots of grumbling and growling as Eri stopped, seeing several people giving hateful glares at the short-nosed, smooth-haired, slightly moustachioed tax collector who was shaking his bag, several guards on both sides of his slender frame as he looked at the stall owner before him, who was grumbling darkly, the long-and-white-haired man giving the tax collector a distasteful look, much like he was a fly who'd landed on his meal. "Now, now. It's tax day! Open up your heart…and your money bags."

The white haired man's eyes were obscured behind a cloudy pair of glasses as he grumbled, getting out his money and handing some coins over. His hands were rather large, indeed, he was quite muscular for a silk and linen seller. Eri felt a sense of unease as she looked at him. There was just something about Solomon that she didn't like. He had been  **perfectly**  friendly and nice to them all the time, and had sold them some fine linen and a very nice dress to Hadiya too just last week, he was quite the skilled tailor but…still…

"Here." He intoned, his somewhat dark skin reddening on his face, flustered and irritated as he handed the money over, fifteen golden coins. An entire day's worth of profit. He grunted as the tax collector shook his bag again.

"AAAAAAND can't forget your permit pay? Our city so graaaaciously let you set up shop here."

"Sure…sure." Solomon handed out another three gold coins with a sigh as the tax collector grinned. People grumbled and muttered more furiously behind the tax collector's back, but then turned eerily silent as he approached another stall, a baker, with-

Eri almost shrieked. This person was new! She'd not been to the market with Hadiya in several days and this newcomer was a surprise. An unpleasant one. Her body shuddered, Hadiya clutching her hand tight to calm her as she saw the multiple eyes, the purplish skin and hair tied into long, flowing ponytails, bound up in various spots like "bunches". She had sharp fangs in her maw, and four arms, and was quite well-built. She wore a big golden necklace that fell over her flat chest, and her black eyes glistened darkly as she folded her arms over her chest as the tax collector approached her.

"Tax day, Ms. Uttu. Let's begin with the basics, and then your permit payment!" The tax collector sang out.

"I already paid it when I applied for one just four days ago." Uttu intoned, her voice silken and smooth but with a distinct edge as Eri shuddered in disgust. She hated, hated, haaaaaaated spiders. All those arms and legs and…and too many eyes and to have an Arachne here? A spider-monster? Still, at least she looked rather spider-LIKE and not as human as she'd heard the Tsuchigumo of Japan could be, a youkai tribe terrifying and devious and, evidently, cannibalistic. She didn't want to imagine what it would be like to meet one of THOSE in a dark alley, thinking she was just passing by a normal person, until that person's many legs were suddenly wrapping around her and-

"Now, now, the rules are the rules." The tax collector said with a dirty little smirk. "And if you talk back again, I'll ask you to give me a bit more as payment for such blatant disregard for civil-"

Uttu promptly shoved an entire money bag right in his chest and he took it as she scowled. "Is…that…sufficient." She muttered.

"See how much better things are for your type when you just cooperate? Everybody wins! See you next month!" The tax collector said, heading out of the market, humming merrily, Uttu turning to look at Solomon, asking a single, simple question.

"Did you have to pay twice for the same permit?" She inquired of him, giving a glance to the other market men and women present as they glanced at each other's stalls, then back at her, and Solomon sighed.

"…no." He muttered, the other sellers in the market shaking their heads too, Uttu sighing.

"And how much did you pay for a permit when you applied?"

"Three gold."

"…I had to pay six." She grumbled. But of course the one seller there that wasn't a human had to pay extra. Of  **course**  they did.

For a brief moment, Eri flinched, as a new, odd feeling rose in her. It took a while before she realized, as Hadiya and her approached the wine seller in the marketplace, that what she felt was…pity. She was feeling sorry for the Arachne, who quietly rubbed over her rather tubby, pregnant frame, eyes closed, head bowed as she sighed sadly.

"What would you like?"

"Give us a good year, whatever type." Hadiya insisted. "Eri and I have a lot to forget tonight."

"Just once I wish the tax collector would forget tax day." Eri mused aloud, as the other sellers chuckled a bit at this. "Or that he'd forget to breathe. That'd be nice."

"Tax maaaaaaan!" Solomon proclaimed, sticking out his thick tongue as the others booed and hissed in agreement. "I can't stand him either. He's almost as bad as those drunken louts who keep using the Hagia Sophia as a  **toilet**."

"Unfortunately, those "louts" are paying me quite a bit to…perform…there." Uttu mumbled as the others in the market shuddered and cringed and looked disgusted. Though WHY, exactly, Eri and Hadiya weren't sure. Perhaps some felt bad for her too…and others perhaps for the crusaders who'd have to see this being naked. "I need the money very badly. Even…their blood money."

Eri felt her pity intensify. She turned to Hadiya. "Um…say, Hadiya, maybe tonight…we can make one little stop before we head home for our special time together?" She asked quietly.

"I think I know exactly what you mean." Hadiya offered warmly. "…I don't know if it's a good idea, but…I think it's very noble idea, and I like that." She confessed.

The quilt of night descended down upon the city, soft torches on the walls lighting the path to Hagia Sophia as Eri and Hadiya made their way towards the back entrance of the Hagia Sophia, Uttu now dressed  **very**  scantily, Eri trying not to look and trying harder not to look disgusted as they walked up to her. They could hear loud roaring and laughing and singing inside the church and Hadiya cleared her throat as Solomon walked out from the back to approach Uttu as well.

"Okay, I've got the, um…the "stage" they wanted set up, all the curtains are ready and-oh. What are you two ladies here for?"

"Listen, we've got money. Ignore what the crusaders want, we can pay you." Eri said quickly as Hadiya nodded, getting out a money bag.

"You're clearly in need, it's the right thing to do." Hadiya reasoned.

"You are kind, humans." Uttu sighed. "But I can't do that. I did make a vow to perform, and I never break a vow."

Hadiya nodded sagely. "I can understand that. All the same, take some of our money anyway. We'll wait for your performance to finish, and you can have a little extra for the sake of your children."

"This city stomps down on me every day." Uttu intoned. "It was a struggle just to get set up here. I'm grateful that, for once, somebody is lifting the boot off my neck. Especially humans like you." She nodded and gave a soft little smile. "I'd smile wider for you humans, but, well…your ilk are frightened by my teeth."

"Yeah, I'm kind of…not a fan of spiders." Eri said, nervously looking away, wiping her brow a bit free of sweat. "Don't take it personally, I've had some really, really bad experiences on a very long boat ride with them." She mumbled out, slightly kicking at the ground as Uttu chuckled, and headed back inside, Eri and Hadiya waiting as Solomon smiled and nodded at them, heading off.

The two women wouldn't have to wait long. Come just an hour later, after about half an hour of hooting and hollering, it died down, and Uttu was heading back outside. Hadiya handed over a small bag of money, and the Arachne took it with two of her four arms, bowing her head before heading off, like Eri and Hadiya did, for home.

The girls, however, wouldn't know that the crusaders inside…EVERYONE inside that building…wouldn't ever desecrate the church again.

Uttu had seen to that. They'd find that out come the next morning… 


	4. The Pieces Move Across the Board, Part 1

"While in the merry month of May, now from me home I started, left, the girls of Tuam were nearly broken-hearted! Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother, drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother! Then off to reap the corn and leave where I was born! Cut a stout, black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins! A brand-new pair of brogues to rattle over the bogs, and frighten all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin…"

"A-one, two, three, four, five! Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road!"

"And all the ways to Dublin, whack, follol de-daaaah!"

The sun beamed down on the men as they made their way back to their encampment, bringing along their prisoners. Cu Chulainn had had yet another successful expedition and his large Irish army were quite happy with their haul, singing merrily as they marched through the forest. They'd intercepted not only an important message for the King of the Monsters, the "King Under the Mountain" himself, oh no…they'd gotten the messenger too, a FIRE ELEMENTAL. And not just any fire elemental, but Sir Grillersby, better known as Grillby.

The burning, fiery monster was currently clad in cold iron chains around his arms and legs, being shuffled along with other random monsters that Cu Chulainn's scouting platoon had picked up as they continued to sing, arriving deep, deep inside the recesses of the dark forest they were camped out at. As the sun softly filtered in through the canopy above and shadows danced and twirled upon the forest floor, Grillby took notice of just how many humans were there, and not only that, how many civlians.

Civilians. Of all things. Clearly, Cu Chulainn had brought along not only a horde of men to do his work in the continuing struggle for dominance over Ireland that was the greatest struggle monsters and men fought in. No, he'd brought in all their family and friends too. Grillby's yellowish eyes blazed a bit as he looked over at a large table, where Cu Chulainn was slowly cutting up a large roast and giving out piece after piece to various women and their children.

One of them looked very special indeed, she and her child both had vibrant eyes of icy blue, and the child unmistakably had the same ears and mouth and nose of Cu Chulainn, though his eyes were that of his mother's, and his hair, though long, was the same oddly milky shade of brown as hers. She held out her plate as Cu Chulainn carved some slices of the roast for her with a rather sharp dagger.

THWACK.

Grillby gaped in surprise as the other monster prisoners whispered and murmured among themselves. Several rabbit-like monsters were amazed, an unfortunate mer-woman cringed, going "ooooh'. A short, more humanoid monster with reddish hair on his head and his arms and legs, a rare leprechaun, went "Holy shit" as he gazed on this, turning to the only monster among the prisoners NOT tied up…a cute little faintly doggish, cat-like thing with black hair flopping down its head, white fur, a little white tail, and cute little paws and black nose and eyes.

A Temmie.

"Did you see that?" The leprechaun asked as the Temmie, who was currently being gently petted by a human, nodded a bit.

"A most surprising thing." It said, Grillby staring. Temmie almost always didn't speak like that! They spoke in rather garbled English, and frequently remarking on how they were all "Temmie", and "Don't forget mah fren" and said "Hoi" to greet you. This Temmie evidently spoke perfect English. It was really astounding. "She's in quite some trouble."

Instead though, the humans around just rolled their eyes, a few sighing or chuckling and some quietly shaking their heads as Cu Chulainn closed his eyes a bit, then cut up a much larger piece of roast for his wife and child. "Is that enough?" He inquired.

His wife nodded. "Much more like it. You should know by know a growing boy needs to eat!" She told him, putting the plate in her son's hand as he found a spot at a table to eat and began to carve the piece up. She tugged on Cu Chulainn's ear, but he just took it, staring back into her eyes as she went on. "Think of your son more, Cu Chulainn! If you thought half as much about how much your son doesn't see you enough than you do about battle plans, you'd be a far better father."

With that, she went to go sit with her son as Cu Chulainn sighed and finished up carving the roast. Not much was left, but he passed out the remainder of it to, of all things, the prisoners, urging them to come over one at a time, pointing quickly with his gauntleted finger, one after the other, Grillby saved for last.

"I don't really "eat"." Grillby told him. "You can give it to someone else." He said, keeping his gaze firmly set into Cu Chulainn's eyes as the Irish war hero nodded curtly, and then walked up, stepping away from the table and moving over towards a nearby tree where a skeleton was tied up. Grillby flinched. Oh dear, it was Courier from Asgore's 1st Platoon. The poor skeleton was nervously clutching at his neck, missing a few ribs, and both feet, one leg, and one arm…all of which little kids were playing with, whacking at each other as they wore food bowls atop their heads.

"I am Gladiator Maximus!" One of the kids proclaimed, holding up poor Courier's left leg as another child held up Courier's left ARM, Cu Chulainn setting the plate of roast boar down in front of the skeleton monster for him to eat, turning to glance at the children playing at Greek gladiators.

"No fair, I wanna be Gladiator Maximus!" the second kid bawled.

"Too bad, I called it!"

"You got to be it last time!"

"Then you can be Minimus!"

"You take that back!"

"Minimus! Minimus!"

"I said take it back!"

"They cannot even fight without fighting." Cu Chulainn intoned as Courier nervously munched on his meal, looking up fearfully at Cu Chulainn. "Be glad they find you entertaining. The alternate would be making you dust." He told the skeleton monster as he made his way back to Grillby, looking him over, folding his arms over his chest. "You and the other prisoners, save for the Temmie, will be kept in the western wing, along with our women and children. As evidenced by my wife, you can see she's more than a match for any of you. It was HER idea to keep prisoners there."

"So she insisted she could handle it? Why do you allow her to push you around so, to strike you, even?" Grillby was truly confused. "You're  **Cu Chulainn**. Shouldn't she be doing what you demand?"

"She's my wife. I don't need any other reason." The long-haired Irish hero intoned. "Cooperate and you won't die. Try to run, try to hurt any of us, and you suffer." He added, speaking to Grillby and the other prisoners before him. "Your lord and his men have no idea we're here. Asgore doesn't know. Nobody knows but us, and we aren't going to let you go until your lord surrenders at last."

"You will call him King Maecoal." Grillby growled out, a bit of sparks rising off his frame.

"Where's his castle? Where's his lands?" Cu Chulainn inquired, raising an eyebrow up. "I'll tell you what I told him when we first met on the field of battle, when he lost them both, and was left with only his subjects; "Where's your crown, King Nothing?"

Now it was  **Grillby**  who lashed out, swinging his chained-together hands at the fiery-haired Irishman, everyone else gasping as he smacked across Cu Chulainn's face. The cold iron may have clearly heavily dulled the power Grillby had, but even so, it felt like being struck by a very hot glove left to burn over a fire. Cu Chulainn slowly turned his head back, looking into Grillby's face.

"Sir Grillersby." Cu Chulainn murmured. "That was your one. I promise, you won't get another free hit on me." He added. "Don't make me angry."

With that, he headed off to his own tent, being handed the Temmie to take with him, Grillby and the other prisoners sent away as Cu Chulainn sighed and sat down in his makeshift bed, putting the Temmie down next to him.

"I'm very surprised you're so well behaved. I thought you'd burst into a rage."

"You thought I'd get angry." Cu Chulainn remarked and he slowly closed his eyes, and gripped his knees tight with his gauntleted hands. "Let me let you in on a little secret. I'm  **always**  angry."

He, however, was not the only one suppressing a burst of rage. Tobias clenched his fists tightly around the books he had as he made his way out of his father's study, yet another homeschooling session completed once again. Such policy was commonplace in the city, but Tobias hated it. It wasn't that his father was a dumb man. But he was a very ignorant one. Tobias had never heard such misinformation in his entire life.

The problem was that he kept hearing it every single day. He wished his dad would, for once,  _stop talking about monsters_.

"You take what I've said to heart, son." Tobias's father insisted warmly, giving his son a pat on the head as Tobias grunted a little and headed down the stairs, to his bedroom. He tossed the books against the wall and they flopped down onto the floor as he dusted himself off, and went to the door. CLICK! He locked it, and then slid out the window, making his way across the sidewalk and off for the park.

And for Toriel, who was helping him learn basic blue magic. She smiled soothingly at him, seeing his exasperated face as she sat down with him under a tree, soft wind blowing through her fur as she ruffled his hair. "Another one of those days?" She asked. "My dearest sympathies." She told him as he, in turn, smiled back in that way he always did. "I know you'd like nothing more than to run away from your father, but it isn't a good idea right now."

"Especially since he could just pay people to drag me back." Tobias grunted out, burying his face in his hands. His father was very rich, after all, because his brother was the lord of the town. It was HIS fancy manor up at the hill that overlooked everything, his tax policies, his will that decreed who could and couldn't build anywhere. And unfortunately he wasn't any better than Tobias's father. He'd insisted that monsters couldn't build any houses on the innermost sections of the city, they had to live on the outskirts or else pay an exorbitant fee and hire guards.

Really, it meant making a prison for any monster that did that, because you would always be spied on by the guards you'd just bought from the city.

"When you're old enough to strike out on your own, then leave, and never come back. Until then, try to make the best of what you have now."

"I do have you." Tobias confessed, sheepishly smiling up at Toriel as she warmly smiled back, and he kissed her on her hands. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

"If you were prince of the land, would you be happier, Toby?" Toriel asked him as he held up one hand along with hers, as she closed her eyes. It had taken her a  **lot**  of time to learn the basics of blue magic, she only knew a tiny bit, but that was good enough. Once someone with magical talent learned blue magic, it became almost instinctive, and Tobias would soon be good enough to-

There! There, a spark of blue light was often the best that Tobias could manifest in his palm but today, it glowed a lovely shade of blue indeed, and he giddily hugged Toriel tight, burying himself in her furry frame.

"Oh, if I was Prince Ms. Toriel, I'd give you ten thousand hundred gold pieces and I'd throw you a parade every day and I'd kiss your feet!" He proclaimed joyously. "Thank you, thank you! This is amazing!  **You're**  amazing!"

Toriel blushed a little. She knew what Tobias felt about her, and as flattered as she was, and as nice as he was and as intelligent and dedicated as he was, he was frankly just too young for her. She was, after all, a good ten years his senior. In monster terms, what he had was a baby crush. Maybe in another decade he might have been a very worthy suitor, but the thing was…and it was something she hadn't yet told him…she was secretly betrothed to another, to the son of King Maecoal, Prince Asgore.

She'd have to tell Toby eventually, she knew that much-

Then her eyes went wide as she gazed up the hill, her mouth agape. "Um…T-Toby…" She murmured aloud, gulping nervously. "…your, um…your uncle's mansion is…dear lord, the whole thing's on FIRE!"

Tobias immediately broke the hug, turning his face to look. Sure enough, the entire mansion was brilliantly ablaze! People were screaming, cries ringing through the air, a rotten stench like bad garlic and fat wafting through the air, a noxious cloud of black smoke billowing up from the mansion. Guards were racing as quickly as they could to carry water and put it out, and barely visible, out on the front courtyard, having just escaped, was a small group of humans who were being kneeled over by what was distinctly a ghost, who was tending to the wounds of a very small child, who appeared to be badly burned indeed.

"Happy, is your brother Napoli alright?"

"I don't feel so good…" The two young lads were in bad shape. They were still coughing heavily, covered in soot and some serious-looking burns all over. Their father had, in life, been the court mage until he'd tragically exploded on the spot during a regrettable magical incident. Now he was a ghost monster, all translucent and whispy and looking much like he did in life, but with very little clothing on, save for a simple shirt and pants. His hair hung down in rolls as he looked over young Happy and Napoli, poor Mr. Bloke sighing deeply.

"Oh, non bene." He murmured as people raced by with large buckets of water, trying to pour the fires out. He looked down at his see-through hands, cringing. He couldn't do green magic anymore, he could barely do anything but teach others how to do magic, and he'd been trying to teach his sons, but they weren't that good at it. "Mi dispiace, sons, but you two will have to heal yourselves. I've been showing you the technique for ages, time you put your skills to use! Pronto!"

"Whatever's going on?!" Tobias's father demanded as he raced up the hill to where the ghostly Mr. Bloke was, seeing the mansion turning into an inferno of fire that couldn't be fought off. "What happened?"

"Somebody evidently set some tapestries on fire, and when they went, FA-WOOSH!" One of the servants intoned, raising his hands up into the air. "The high beams went, everything began to collapse and burn up, especially in the main hall, we all had these gigantic kegs of fine wine and so it turned into a massacre of flaming death! It was awful! Awful!"

"The poor lord's head was split open by a burning, falling high beam." Another servant confessed. "Ironic that his gold will be fine, since he put it in that basement…this year was his greatest haul in taxes, and now he'll never be able to use it."

"I believe, sir, that you and your family are his only relatives. By law, everything shall pass to you." Mr. Bloke told Tobias's father as his eyes went wide.

Now Tobias really would be a prince. But he had no idea things were about to get much worse.

…

…

…

… "You're sure you can handle this, Leopold? We have been at it for a solid three hours now."

"I'm going to give it one more try. I can do this, Master Gerald!"

The long, white hair of Leopold the mage flickered about in the swift winds billowing around him as he stood atop a hill not far from the city. He focused his eyes upon the straw dummy in front of him, gritting his teeth. He had no idea he was being watched from afar by W.D Gaster, the young skeleton monster having decided to follow Leopold and Gerald the day after the incident with the burnt-down house. Now Gaster stayed quiet as a mouse, black eyes gazing on as Leopold's body glowed brightly, shades of many colors flickering about. He was clearly skilled in far more magic than just blue! Most human mages focused on one or two types of magic, but the shifting colorscape of Leopold made it clearly he was more a jack of all trades!

But based upon the very small, puffy little fireball he'd finally made pop up on the straw man, Leopold was a master of none.

**"Damn it all!"**  Leopold yelled out, groaning as he hung his head ."How degrading. This is the best I can do, really?" He muttered, as he shook his head back and forth.

"It couldn't be more pathetic." Gerald confessed. "…oh, wait, actually, it could. You could only be capable of making people's magic stronger and last longer for a good fifteen seconds." He added, gesturing at himself and giving Leopold a snarky look as the young man sighed.

"Yes, you're right, you're right. I'm sorry, Master Gerald. I'm just so depressed that I've not been able to make a single fireball bigger than a puff of smoke." The young man said. "The court mage named Bloke could summon fires as large as dragons themselves! Turn pebbles into gold! He could make things explode in a shower of sparks!"

"Yes, a feat he did to himself VERY nicely." Gerald intoned. "Did they ever actually  **find**  all the pieces of his body?"

"I heard no, actually." Leopold confessed as he shuddered in disgust. "The poor, poor man. Bits. Nothing but bits and a drifting soul left behind! Now turned into a monster, the same way so many dead become skeletons!"

"That's just not true!" Gaster found himself yelling angrily, stomping his foot as the two turned to look at him. "Yo-You take that back, I was not a dead kid, I was not, I was  _not_!" He yelled, tears beginning to brim in his eyes. "Y-You don't know what you're t-talking about!" He said, balling his fists in rage, beginning to actually rattle his bones! They shook and quivered about as Leopold stared at him, then at Gerald.

"…it's the skeleton lady's son." He realized aloud. "You want me to take him home, Master Gerald?"

"If you could."

"Okay, c'mon, c'mon." Leopold motioned for Gaster to follow him down the hill, back towards town as Gaster gave him a dark look. "It will soon be dark, your mother is no doubt looking for you."

"You don't actually care, you think we're all revenants! That…that  **disgusting**  word!" Gaster snapped. "You have no idea what it feels like to be looked at as if you're just some dead body walking around, a living desecration of a child of all things! It's…it's just so-"

"Frustrating? Infuriating? Incredibly aggravating and angering and horrible and it makes you want to just scream in their faces until they stop believing it?" Leopold asked as Gaster stopped in mid-sentence and looked back at him, astounded. "I know how you feel. How do you think I was treated upon gaining magic? Like a freak. Something unnatural and creepy, and even worse than the abuse I got from the hair you see." He added, holding up a long lock of white hair.

Gaster had never really seen white hair on humans unless they were old. This young man wasn't even out of his teens. "How…did you get that white hair?" He found himself inquiring as Leopold sighed.

"What's your name?"

"Gaster. W.D Gaster."

"Well, Gaster, my name's Leopold. I was younger than you when, unfortunately, several monsters decided they'd had enough of my father. He had ventured upon insult, and they vowed revenge, and they tossed things through the windows of my home, drinking all the while, and because we were out in the farmland, nobody was around to help. It got worse, because then one of them stuffed a strap of cloth into one of the bottles they had and tossed it inside the home." Leopold grumbled. "They'd had enough of hearing my father and mother muttering cruel vulgarities and insults under their breath. Had enough of my dad stiffing them for payment on tilling the fields. They felt he didn't pay them as much as the humans."

"Did he?"

"No. He didn't. That was the sad thing. I'd thought that was wrong. It was harder for me to think that after they did what they did." Leopold muttered as Gaster nervously cringed, Leopold finally arriving a the city gates. "So, where do you live?"

"East and main, sir."

"Just call me Leopold. Or Leo."

"Leopold, then, what…kind of monsters were they? Merpeople? Puca? Elementals?"

"No. Skeleton monsters." Leopold said with a bit of a sad smile as Gaster cringed even more. "Their visage illuminated by the burning fire of my house was seared into my mind. I went white that day after barely escaping the house…and luckily for me, one of their compatriots who was standing by watching did the right thing, and helped get me to safety."

"No wonder you don't like my kind much." Gaster murmured. "I'm…sorry to hear that. But I've lost family to humans."

"Of course you have. Skeleton monsters are quite rare. I don't want you to forgive me, just to understand what I feel. And I'm not MAD…at your kind. You scare me." Leopold said as Gaster whipped his head back in his direction as they finally reached East and Main, the quilt of night beginning to fall over the city, long shadows cast each way from the dimly lit lamps hung all about. "Monsters like you terrify me. Magic terrifies me. When I first got my powers, it was…" Leopold trailed off. He looked like he was suppressing a shudder. "I did feel like a freak. I was so scared. I felt like I wasn't a person anymore. Gerald helped me see otherwise, and even then, I…I get uncomfortable whenever he tries to pat me on the back, or hold my hand, or hug me. I can't help it. I just can't."

With that, he sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "But the thing is, a brave man faces his fears and conquers them not by pretending they aren't there, but by acknowledging they are, and going forward anyway." Leopold told Gaster. "That's the first step to making things right. Acknowledging a problem."

"…goodnight, Leopold."

"Goodnight, W.D Gaster."

The two then quietly nodded, heading off for their own respective homes, one a little bit wiser, the other a little more relieved. After all, a problem shared was a problem halved.

Unfortunately for Elisud, his attempts to master his green magic weren't being helped by sharing his struggles with his friends at the castle he now called home. Toriel had tried to send back some advice to him, but despite his best efforts to try and make the shield form again, it wasn't really working. Lord Llywelyn, Bowen, Gawain, Arthus, Dylann, all of them sat around the open courtyard of the castle as Elisud focused as much as he could.

"RRGGH! C'mon! Come…on!" Elisud moaned aloud, clenching his fists tightly, brow furrowed, gritting his teeth. "Pop…up! Give me that…shield! Come!  _On!_ " He roared out.

But, alas, nothing doing. He flopped down onto his knees in his green robes, moaning, panting heavily as sweat dribbled down his brow, Lord Llywelyn Ap Iorwerth helping him up as Arthus gave him some water to drink. "We did see a bit of a green glow about you, if that helps."

"You're very considerate but…I'm afraid that no, that does not help. In fact, it makes me feel rather worse." Elisud mumbled. "I've been at this for days now. Evidently I can only manifest it if I'm truly in danger, or those around me are."

"Maybe if one of us swung a sword at you it would work?" Gawain suggested as Iolo gave him a whack over the back of his helmeted head with his gauntleted fist. A faintly coconut-hitting-sound rang through the air as Gawain chuckled. "I jest, I jest!"

"Let's do something more reasonable." Lord Llywelyn offered warmly as he placed a hand on Elisud's shoulder. "Elisud, your healing skills would be highly valuable at the front lines of our recent skirmishes with the monsters. I'm certain Maecoal wants to make the land of Ireland his, there's been more and more recent attacks there from Prince Asgore and other generals. All of their attention seems to be focused primarily upon Ireland, and my friend, Cu Chulainn, actually sent out calls for aid."

"Cu Chulainn called for help?  **Him!?**  The demon himself?" The men looked astounded. Hearing this was like hearing that the Queen pooped out the window. It was just…inconceivable! Furthermore, the Irish did  **not**  like the English. At all. They hated the English more than monsters! At least King Maecoal was a puca, an Irish monster himself! The English, though…over and over again it was the same complaints and raging.

_"They should all go back to where they came!"_

_"My grandfather and his father and his father's father suffered and died at English hands. I'd drive them all into the sea if I could."_

_"They're stuck up, pompous, arrogant, pretentious and I can't stand them!"_

_"They can go f—k themselves. Literally. I hope they make up some kind of apparatus that allows them to literally f—k themselves."_

"He must be very desperate to call on us." Elisud remarked aloud as he rubbed his chin. He hesitated though, glancing at his friends. "…I don't know, though. I mean…I may be called to the front line. I don't want to truly hurt anyone."

"You won't have to. All of us here will do much more meaningful work on the front line than you could. Your hands are meant to heal, Elisud." Lord Llywelyn Ap Iorwerth told him, picking up the young, faintly bearded man's hands as he nodded down at him. "You'll be able to save many lives. Let us risk ours freely as we were asked to do…and you'll be waiting for us to return from the field, with a green balm and big smile in wait." He offered.

"Well…" Elisud hesitated again, but then he looked around at his friends. He'd been with them for such a long time now, and they all seemed to really need him. If they were going off to fight monsters, he couldn't just let them go just like that. They'd need the aid he could give them. And besides, Ireland wasn't too far away, his letters to Toriel wouldn't take that much longer to get to her with him being in the land of the green.

What was the worst that could happen?


	5. The Pieces Move Across the Board, Part 2

The inside of the church at Hagia Sophia had been desecrated by the machinations of the Crusaders who'd had little respect for the building, or the culture and people that had built it. To them, the people of Constantinople were essentially heathens, they were at their throats almost as badly as the Protestants and Catholics of Europe were.

But when a distinctive smell wafted through the early morning air, Eri and Hadiya had gone to investigate. It had been downwind from where they were sleeping and their screaming had woken people up. The inside of the church had indeed seen better days thanks to the pigheadedness and foul behavior of the Crusaders, who had taken to doing awful, foul things within the once-beautiful church.

But now they'd clearly gotten what somebody had felt was their just desserts. It was hard not to find a spot inside that was not baked in blood. Their horrifically torn-apart bodies laid about in chunks, it was nigh impossible to recognize who was who among the men who'd been inside. It appeared as though, not content to simply tear them apart, whomever had finished them off had decided they hadn't suffered enough, and had beaten their faces into a pulpy mass. The crosses were splattered with brain matter, the carpeting was soaked through with blood, one man had been forcibly impaled through the body with a gigantic cross and left to drizzle blood onto the altar below.

Interestingly…a large statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus was the only thing seemingly untouched, sitting behind the altar, both looking even sadder than before. Perhaps because, right beneath them, laid four women.

"…are those the…those are the prostitutes the men called in!" Eri realized as people whispered and murmured amongst themselves, Solomon the silk shopkeeper looking as pale as his hair as he gripped the top of a pew, gazing at the women lying in a pile not far away. "Oh dear, oh…oh dear, oh dear. Oh sweet Lord, no…"

Hadiya felt absolute disgust. She didn't even believe in the same God Eri did, and even she felt this sort of thing was beyond sacrilegious. She quietly put a hand on Eri's shoulder, pulling her in for as tender a hug as she could muster to comfort Eri as people examined the dead all around, Solomon slowly walking over to the dead women lying in a pile. He knelt down, slightly turning them over so he could see their faces.

…they had none.

"…I think it best we leave this place immediately." He intoned quietly as he glanced up at Eri and Hadiya, and then at the onlookers. "ALL of us. We should leave this place to its proper caretakers who will take the dead and-"

"Those disgusting fucking Catholics should have known not to turn our beautiful Sophia into a den of cess!" Someone furiously roared out as people mutinously murmured and muttered, glancing around at each other. "If they hadn't done that, they wouldn't be dead here in our church!"

"Yeah, whomever did this did us a favor!"

"Their friends will take it out on US." Somebody else argued. "If they don't find the actual killer or killers, they'll just take it out on us until we confess who did it, even if we don't know!"

"We both know who did this." Eri murmured as she and Hadiya made their way out of the church and heading for the docks. The sun was becoming clouded by an increasing quilt of faint silvery grey as Eri finally said what had been filling her head since they'd first stepped into the blood-soaked Hagia Sophia. "I mean, she was the last person to enter that church, I think."

"Nobody else but us knows she went in there." Hadiya reasoned. "Maybe she didn't do it."

"Do you really think that, or do you just  **want**  to think that because she killed those Catholic bastards you hate?" Erimentha softly asked as Hadiya flinched a bit, glancing away. "Look, if she  **did**  do it, she isn't going to confess it to us. We should just get out of the city. Get away. Go someplace safer, before the hammer of the Catholic Church comes down upon us. They  **will**  start punishing everyone else for what's happened here, just to get an answer."

"Alright, alright. Let's take the first boat we can find." Hadiya reasoned, sounding irritated, shaking her head back and forth. "Y'know, I really hate it when you're right."

"Well, I can't be wrong all the time." Eri chuckled a bit as Hadiya found herself smiling despite all that had just happened, the two looking about the docks. "Let us ask around, there must be  **somebody**  willing to take us."

"You two are in luck."

They both fairly jumped, Eri cringing a bit as Solomon appeared behind them, a large rucksack and several bags in his hands. "I'm not staying either, and I've paid good money to be on a merchant ship that's delivering goods off to Europe, especially Ireland. There's quite a lot of coin to be made on what's going to become the front lines of a great war. Whispers have reached my ears of a growing malcontent between monsters and humans in the green lands, and I think it wise to get there swiftly." He told the two as Eri bit her lip. Mr. Solomon was perfectly nice, she still didn't know WHY she got such unease speaking to him.

"Would you let us join you, good sir?" Hadiya asked. "We're perfectly willing to work for a spot on that ship."

"If you say you're my employees who help run my business, you can earn a spot on the ship, yes. But I don't think Captain Rogers will mind too much even if you are just stowing away." Solomon confessed. "He's a very fine man. Very easygoing. I think you'll like him quite a lot."

It would take a lot to impress Hadiya, though, Eri thought to herself. She had not had good experiences with sailors. Just as she hadn't had good experiences with spiders. But as it turned out, her concern over it seemed to be misplaced. Mr. Abel Roger's ship was a "Nava", a merchant ship quite commonly used at the time, stocky, belly-like with two large decks, and two large masts, equipped with Latin sails and with a soft blue paint job upon the flag he flew. His hair, like Solomon's, was also white, with a large fringe flopping down over the left side of his face.

His crew were hard at work, moving boxes and bags about on the ship, setting everything up as Hadiya and Eri shook his hand. He was barefooted, wearing soft-colored, rather baggy pants, and a bandanna of blue tied over his head, the same color as his brilliant blue eyes and the blue shirt he wore. His hands were what surprised Eri and Hadiya the most, they were so soft, as soft to the touch and in appearance as his feet.

"You two are more than welcome to stay on my ship." Abel Rogers insisted comfortingly. "We leave in just a hour. You don't mind sharing a bedroom with Solomon? Not much space to sleep left with all the cargo we've got."

"We'll manage. This may be an odd question but…why are your hands so soft?" Hadiya found herself asking as Eri gave Hadiya a look.

"Hadi, really, don't ask that kinda silly thing!" She insisted as she shook her head, but the captain smiled.

"I'd spend hours swimming in the sea or just standing on the beach as the waves rolled in." He confessed. "I found it…soothing. And it made my skin very smooth indeed, like a stone constantly washed over through time." He remarked, turning to gesture for his crew to move a big crate off to the lower deck. "Abel wasn't originally my real name either. It was my christened name after Catholic priests came to our village. But I like it more than my original name, it's less rough." He confessed. "And I look more like an "Abel" anyway." He added, pointing at his face.

"I'm surprised you're not mad at the Catholics for that. A lot of people I met really don't like them at all." Eri confessed as the men struggled to move the gigantic crate. They actually dropped it on the deck, moaning as they had to pick it up again.

"I swear you dropped it on purpose!"

"Did not, it shifted weight on your end, not mine!"

"I thought it moved. Are we moving an animal?"

"Course it didn't friggin' move!"

"The priests were nothing but nice to us. Besides, what we had before wasn't…good." Abel added with a cringe on his face as the last of the preparations finished, and finally the ship began to go out to sea, the wind blowing strongly into the sails as the cry of seagulls filled the air. "Our town worshiped a much more cruel God."

"Really?" Hadiya inquired, sounding rather surprised. "What was their name?"

"You couldn't pronounce it. Only the priests could." Abel said, and his voice, so genial and personable became a bit harder, and more hollow. He suddenly looked a thousand years old as he rested against the bow, glancing out over the waters, and the wind ruffled the fringe out of the way of his left eye, revealing…it was red. He was heterochromatic, with a blue and red eye. "But he did speak to us. And at first I thought it was comforting, for he provided so much for our village, giving to us from the sea. Then I got older, and wiser, and I realized there was something much less comforting than a God who chooses to remain silent."

"What's that?"

"…one that  _never_  is." Abel quietly finished, digging his hands slightly into the bow as a dark chill came over Eri and Hadiya, as they realized Abel was staring down, down into the darkest depths of the ocean.

…

…

…

…Elisud was astounded that he was meeting Cu Chulainn. The young man shook the red-haired warrior's hand, the assembled platoons of warriors from all across Europe gathered there in Ireland as Cu Chulainn nodded firmly at each man's hand he shook, but he seemed to smile at Elisud in a way Elisud hadn't truly seen in others.

"Your name?"

"Elisud, sir."

"…let is call you "Eli"!" He remarked with a firm nod. "I think I can expect a lot from you. Now come, come! You have all no doubt had long journeys here. Rest up, then we will meet tomorrow at the dawn for our next offense. King Maecoal has stationed an inordinate amount of Pyropes and other long-distance fighters not far from our location, so set up encampments close to ours. Eli, come with me." The fabled warrior insisted as he put an arm around the young bearded man, and they headed into the depths of the woods as music began to waft out from within.

"Aren't you worried they'll burn down the forest to get at you, sir?" Elisud inquired nervously. "I mean, I'm sure a brilliant military mind like you's already figured out a solution, but still…"

"Not to worry. For one, we made it clear to Maecoal we have Sir Grillersby himself. He wouldn't dare attack the forest to endanger somebody so powerful, and with the cold iron chains on him, he's got no real power. He'd be burnt up in the flames they'd throw at us, so they wouldn't dare try anything." Cu Chulainn reasoned. "And we've got multiple scouting parties with keen arrow eyes watching, hidden at the front of the forest keeping our eyes peeled if they try to send in rescue parties, or somebody to assassinate us."

They finally reached Cu Chulainn's camp, as dozens upon hundreds of men were sitting at tables, passing around food, drink, big barrels of wine and beer set up. Folks cheered and laughed as the twinkling stars bathed their light over them from above, and various men had set up musical instruments, lovely stringed things they strummed away at, others playing with drums, demonstrating how to strike them to their children. Cu Chulainn looked up, seeing his wife approaching as she pointed in the direction of the camp where she and the other women and children stayed, along with the prisoners.

"That damn fire elemental keeps tossing dirty looks at me. Do something about it."

"Do you want me to put more iron chains on him, then?" Cu Chulainn asked.

"Can't you cut out his eyes?"

"I'm not going to cut out his eyes. Don't be silly." Cu Chulainn intoned, shaking his head.

"You cut out that minotaur's eyes a month back!" She reasoned, poking him in the chest. He tried to ignore it.

"Well, he had been cutting off people's legs as they tried to crawl away from him on the battlefield. I thought it was fair." Cu Chulainn reasoned.

"And then you cooked and ate him."

"Well, you  **told**  me to do that, you wanted to know if he tasted like beef-" Cu Chulainn reasoned, now sounding rather annoyed and irritated as Eli saw the fierce warrior's wife shove him. HARD. He and Elisud were knocked a few steps back as her voice rose.

"No, you did that on your own, don't lie to me. I'm tired of you blaming me for everything. Now either kill that damn fire elemental or move him somewhere where he won't keep bothering us!" She snapped.

"Alright, I'll have him tied up next to my tent, then." Cu Chulainn reasoned, inwardly gritting his teeth, Elisud feeling him tightening his grip on his shoulder as his wife walked off. "…you know, I think I need to hear some good music." He muttered, bringing Elisud to a table, sitting down by a man with a flute, as he passed Elisud a mug of mead and a plate loaded up with some fine roast and cooked vegetables. "Men, play me my favorite song. The one that lifts my spirits after such, ah…fiery words with my beloved." He remarked as he took his son onto his knee, ruffling his child's very soft red hair. "You'll like this one, Connla!"

"Oh, of course, of course. The usual it is, then." The musicians all nodded amongst themselves, a bit of a sad smile passing over their faces before they began to play, as Cu Chulainn took in a deep breath, and then began to sing before Elisud's eyes!

_**Well I came into a scolding wife a few short years ago,** _

_**And ever since I lead a life of misery and woe!** _

_**My wife she is a tyrant, around the room and in!** _

_**I should sell her to the devil for a glass or two of gin!** _

The men all laughed and chuckled, as Cu Chulainn chuckled, ruffling his child Connla's hair some more, his son chuckling a bit, clearly getting into the song as well.

_**Sure I'll get up and go to work, as mild as any man!** _

_**And she'll get up and dress herself and go and have her jam!** _

_**I never chance to say a word, it's well I know my due!** _

_**She'll follow me with the fire and shovel up and down the room!** _

And then the music swelled, violins being strummed, flutes wafting loudly through the air, people clapping their hands, stomping their feet to the music as Cu Chulainn picked his child up, twirling around and around with his son.

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

One of the musicians now spoke up, as the men smacked their mead glasses and jugs on the tables in perfect rhythm with the songs, heads bouncing back and forth, and merriment softly drifting through the air as Elisud found a smile creeping over his face.

"When I get up at breakfast time she'll tap me on the head!"

"When I come home at dinner time I'll find her drunk in bed!" Another sang out.

"When I come home at supper time with patience I must stop, cause she drinks what's in the teapot and I must drink the SLOP!"

And then the chorus once again, now even Elisud joining in as little Connla clapped his hands cheerily, his father grinning broadly, the two twirling around a fire as the various monster prisoners were brought over, put by a table of their own for a small bit of food. Grillby glanced at Cu Chulainn, frowning a bit as he turned to Elisud, and he seemed to stiffen. He could tell, he could TELL Eli was a mage. He bit his fiery lip, glancing away even as the music continued, nobody really paying attention to the monstrous prisoners.

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

Cu Chulainn sat back down at the table, patting his son on the shoulder as his kid went off to go play with some of the other children and he, in turn, sipped a big mug of wine, grinning toothily, a bit of the wine dribbling out the side of his mouth as he sang.

_**Well once I asked me scoldin wife if I could go to bed!** _

_**She scarce gave me an hour on the pillow to lay me head,** _

_**When like a roarin lion she came bustin down to the door,** _

_**She caught me by the middle an threw me naked on the floor!** _

Clapping, stomping, all of the encapment seemed enraptured with joyous song as Elisud felt a sense of ease and comfort rise in him. Cu Chulainn motioned for Elisud to come over to him, and Elisud blinked a bit in surprise.

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

And now as the band played a merry bridge, Cu Chulainn took Eli's hand, laughing as he and Eli danced about the fire, his own burning red hair flopping about as Eli laughed joyously. He was having so much FUN. He'd been scared, truth be told, to meet with the supposed "Demon" himself but Mr. Chulainn was really a nice guy when you actually got to know him.

"C'mon! You give it a try, lad!" Cu Chulainn insisted as they encircled the fire in their dance. "Give us a stanza! Sing your heart out!"

"I'll try, sir. God willing." Eli remarked as he focused, wracking his brain. He spoke/sang as best he could, a bit hesitantly at first.

"Now me and my companions go out to a public place, and she'll search around the neighborhood until she finds my face!" Eli managed to get out, his voice a bit nervous and shaky, but a sense of confidence began to creep in as the second half started. "She'll hoist me up and ridicule before my company saying "You know I'M your master and forever more I'll be"!"

The men all laughed, clapping their hands, Cu Chulainn and Elisud then joining together in the last roaring stanzas of the song, their words drifting up into the glittering starry skies above.

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

_**And if the devil would take her, I'd thank him for his pain!** _

_**I swear to God I'll hang myself if I get married again!** _

The happy joyous laughter of the assembled men and women and kids filled the air as Cu Chulainn passed Eli another drink. "You'll fit in fine here." He told Eli, giving him a nod, heading over to Grillby, taking him by his chains, pulling him along to his tent. He had the fire elemental tied to a tree just across from him as Cu Chulainn raised an eyebrow. "Tell me. Where do you fire elementals come from? Do you get made when one fire lays over another?" He chuckled. "Was there some "real sparks" in your parent's marriage?"

"We are born from the nothingness. Pulled from raw magical power that lingers in the world." Grillby coldly told him. "I existed as but faint flickers of sparks, barely sentient, before I gained this body 10 years ago."

"…so you're as old as my son, then." Cu Chulainn intoned. "…that's a rather sad existence."

"Oh, how kind of you to notice this, demon." Grillby snorted sarcastically. "I don't want any sort of pity from somebody who seems to delight in the pain of my kind."

"I delight in the fight. It isn't much more simple than that." Cu Chulainn said, heading into his tent, sitting down in what passed for his bed as he calmly took in deep, long breaths, and closed his eyes. He breathed in and out, in and out of his nose, as the sounds of everything about him faded. The faint cry of the last bird songs drifted away, the laughing of his friends and comrades dissolving. Grillby's faint, crackling body, all went silent as he was lost in an abyssal blackness of silence and somber stillness.

He slowly opened his eyes, and there he was, looking across fields he'd visited all too often, fields of dark, scarred earth. The stench of the dead lingered in the air as he approached the figure who was waiting for him, ALWAYS waiting for him. The figure turned, nodding as he pointed a large, clawed digit over to the east.

"You have to reinforce the front line with proper shieldmen, or they will easily crash through when the battle comes. It will also begin to rain, the fighting gets muddy and foul. And Prince Asgore will be there again."

"Anyone I know die?" Cu Chulainn asked, as he always did.

"No. But the young mage who has just joined you will see much suffering and pain and anguish. Do him the kindness of insisting he not go to the front lines, no matter what happens. Because he WILL eventually insist on going to the front, his fear for his friends will drive him. He's too kind for his own good." The figure added as the skies grey quilt of clouds began to faintly dissolve, and the figure came into more stark relief.

His eyes, unholy and gleaming green. A spiked tail, taloned feet, sharp, clawed hands. A head, horned and feral and like that of a devil, with sharp fangs, and scaly skin like that of blood. Cu Chulainn stared at his future self, the blessing he had, a blessing of Patience. To be able to see so far ahead through stilling your soul, and being calm and collected on a level few could match was a truly amazing gift. By making himself as the surface of a pond undisturbed, he could know what would come, and prepare appropriately. Sometimes he saw years ahead. Sometimes even decades. Sometimes only mere weeks.

But his future self had never failed him. This gave him comfort.

It didn't comfort him…that his future self looked the way he did.

…but ah well. What could you do?

…

…

…

… "You're SURE they called for me, sir?"

Seiichi was nervous. VERY nervous. The ponytailed young Japanese Buddhist student fearfully glanced around the Shogun Yoriie's beautiful and lovely estate. About a dozen or so other people had been brought into the main yard of the shogun's estate, cherry blossoms blowing soft petals through the air, the wind ruffling through everyone's hair as Seiichi turned to his master. Genku patted him on the shoulder and nodded.

"I was as surprised as you, but yes. The dragons wished to meet not only the shogun and I, but several others. I've no idea what they have in common with us." He confessed, glancing around. "I see a blacksmith from town, an apothecary, a woman who tried to proposition me at that very same apocrypha, they are all quite different. It's confusing to me."

But it wasn't to Seiichi. He knew, he KNEW why they were called there. He could faintly feel it rising off of them, the spark of magic. It was unmistakable. And they, in turn, could feel it coming off of him, looking in his direction before all of them heard it. The unmistakable voice of a dragon, not one, but many, entering the estate.

They all bowed. How could they not? Eyes with pupils that had rings of light around them, scales that glistened like bright jewels, with sharp claws and talons. Rather sinewy bodies, horns like deer or elk, many with ornate designs that twisted and curved about, some having thick whiskers that hung down the sides of their mouths, others more humanoid in appearance but with faintly serpentine faces and the horns remaining, poking out their foreheads, tails trailing behind them. They wore ornate and golden gi with silver writing, and carried themselves with a haughty air as the Shogun bowed before them, as did Master Genku and Seiichi.

"Rise. For now." The first intoned, smoking a big pipe, and faintly blowing wings into the air.

They were big. Taller and larger than any human and even then, Seiichi could feel they were limiting their size just to walk among these "insects", for a distinct air of superiority wafted through their words, acting as an undercurrent.

"You only have this many magic users in your valley?"

"We would call it disappointing but we expect little from humans."

"Yes. Still, some of you may be of use in the coming war."

"War?"

"Do not interrupt." The first dragon said quickly, giving Master Genku a dark look as he quivered and gulped. "We were not finished."

"A war is coming, between humans and monsters. Fought in the green lands to the west, that those of the paler skin call "Ireland". We wish to see it play out."

"NOW…you may speak. Now you may ask us questions." Another one said, a more serpentine one but with an ornate, halo-like horn as he looked the shogun over, the other humans murmuring and whispering quietly amongst themselves.

"Who's side will you be on?"

"Our OWN." The dragons all said at once.

"Whether you get included depends on what you offer to us. If your offer is better than King Maecoal, we'll side with you." The first dragon intoned.

"How do we know you will not just turn on us when we're all tired and worn out from the war and weakened?" The shogun inquired with a frown, stroking over his considerably large, faintly walrus-like mustache.

"You don't." The halo-horned one said with a faint smile. "Isn't that interesting?" He remarked, as the other dragons murmured amongst themselves.

"Heh. Silly little apes."

"Look at them plot and plan."

"Like we're not ten steps ahead of them."

"You know, it's rude to talk behind somebody's back." Seiichi spoke aloud.

The dragons all immediately gazed at him, and they looked astounded. The first one spoke, slowly lowering his pipe.

"…you can speak our language?" He asked.

"I, um…I can talk to animals, sir. All animals."

"…you didn't have to tell us your true power. You could have lied. You're…honest." The dragon seemed astounded. Confused, and yet also…faintly admiring. The dragons murmured and whispered more quietly amongst each other, as Seiichi glanced at his master, then at the dragon who had complimented him, who finally turned to address him, placing a clawed hand on his shoulder. His touch was so…WARM. It was amazing how warm his hand was, and he had an unusual scent, like the smell of the wind on a spring day. "We would like you to act as our eyes and ears. Do you agree to this, human? In exchange, we will provide for your safe trip to the green lands, I will even have one of my own brood join you to the front lines, my eldest himself, who will serve to protect you. Do you agree to this?"

Seiichi bowed his head. "I only want to see any sort of conflict between monsters and humans ended peacefully, sir. If there's even the slightest chance I could use my powers to bring that about, I'll take it, no matter how slim it is."

"You adhere to the Buddha's teachings well." Master Genku complimented as the dragons all nodded at once.

"We will leave tomorrow. My son will be by your temple to escort you. Pack your things." Intoned the dragon that rested his hand upon Seiichi's shoulder. "I think I can expect a great many things from you, human. You may actually end up surprising me. You've a low bar to clear, but…still." He added with a small smile.

Meanwhile, many, many miles away, poor "Prince Tobias" was not having a good time of it. He was currently pacing back and forth in his bedroom, now a lord of the land, in charge of huge swathes of fine countryside and an enormous town that depended on him and his sage wisdom. He bit his lip, finally putting the crown atop his head down on a nearby desk, and going to the window nearby. Toriel. He needed help from Toriel, she always knew what to do.

He opened up the window, looking out at the expanse before him, as the soft sunlight began to filter down over the town. People were beginning to assemble in front of what was now his castle, they wanted to make requests, and there was only so much room in the main hall. Much of the castle was still being rebuilt, it was lucky this room hadn't been burnt down by that fire.

That fire. Tobias cringed as he thought about it. People wanted answers. There weren't really any witnesses to the fire, but there was somebody being blamed. Pyrope and his family were the obvious suspects. After all, they had a habit of bumping into things and setting them on fire, and now…

Before, monsters and humans had gotten on pretty well, all things considered. There had been a faint nervousness underlying how everyone interacted with each other, somewhat rising up every now and then in tiny little aggression.

"Oh, you're very skilled for a monster."

"I had no idea you people could do that."

"Could I feel your fur?"

"You ain't half bad for a human."

"As far as humans go, you're okay."

Nothing really too serious beyond somewhat insulting words, but now…now humans and monsters were eyeing each other with more distrust.

Tobias was determined not to add to that. He had a plan, and he was sure Toriel could help as he reached for his desk and began to write furiously with ink and quill. "Toriel, I want you to meet with the court mage in secret. Mr. Bloke will be in the apple orchard with his sons tonight, they will be practicing their blue magic, one of the few things Mr. Bloke can still use since he was once human until his untimely and fiery demise. Tell him I told you to meet him there, and I want to investigate the great fire. I intend to gather evidence here in the castle with him, and she can take his sons, and discreetly ask around town if anyone knows anything. I want to get to the bottom of all this. I'll also be asking the public for any help, from any source. I don't want our home tearing itself apart, monster versus human. Please write me back as quickly as possible. I could really use your help."

He finished his letter, and then attached the note to the leg of his messenger pigeon, Orestes, in the golden cage it laid in. He helped the pigeon out, and patted its head. He had trained it to find Toriel, and now it would deliver his letter as swift as it could. But first thing's first, before he could hear what she had to say, he had to hear what his people had to say.

They had a LOT to say.

"Our taxes are too high, sir, we monsters have always had to pay a little too much, especially when compared to less…shall we say, furry citizens?"

"I'm telling you, my neighbor has underpaid me for field work!"

"Can you please do something about the bandits on the west riverbank entrance to the forest that connects to the town?"

"We'd like a permit, sir, to build an addition to the tavern."

"Do you think you could do something about the cobblestone paths on Main Street, they need repair work?"

"My lord, we are concerned King Maecoal could see this town as a good resource for his war efforts, our hills, after all, are fabled for their gold mines."

Tobias had been scribbling down every single request and pleading and demand as his guards stood on either end of the enormous hall. There were new tapestries now, showing off the symbol of the land, of the green hills with a faint glowing golden light emanating from the back. "Gold from Green", the motto of his family, for huge troths of gold laid within the hills that his ancestors had claimed for their own. He bit his lip as he glanced at his many guards and the assembled court, the nobles and aristocrats and highfalutin members of the clergy and the like looked at each other.

It was a shame Father White couldn't be there. Tobias would have felt some comfort with him there. Still, he wanted to do right by his people. He cleared his throat, rising up.

"We will double scouts on our borders if you are concerned." He told his worried captain of the guard. "You may leave now. All of you. I've much work to do in my private study."

He nodded firmly, and exited the throne at the end of the hall, returning to his room, where a letter awaited. Ah, Toriel. She'd said yes! She was going to help him. Thank goodness for some good news. He smiled happily, holding the letter in his hand. Oh, he didn't know what he'd do without her. And she had such elegant handwriting, the way she wrote her l's was-

He blinked. Wait, was he…could he be-

He quivered nervously. Oh dear. He felt such embarrassment. She was older than he was and a different species and he was pretty sure she was interested in someone else, and besides…he was the king and she wasn't even nobility. Him having this sort of feeling for her…was this right? He'd always insisted that monsters weren't any different from humans. He'd never thought they should be treated differently. But…

He wasn't just some normal person anymore. He was the prince and his father was the King. And his father and mother definitely would NOT approve of this. It had been an effort just to get his father James to let the common folk come in to make requests. If he went to his father and said he had feelings for Toriel…

"Oh, what am I going to do?" Tobias murmured, flopping onto his bed, covering his face, cringing. He hoped Toriel was having an easier time of things than he was right now.


	6. The Pieces Move Across the Board, Pt. 3

The sea breeze washed thick waves against the boat, the sky faint cloudy, a strong, zephyrous wind blowing through the sails as Eri drew on her scroll of parchment, humming to herself as Hadiya was currently down below, helping to move stuff about and lug things around. The cargo kept falling over for some reason and she'd offered to help as Eri, in turn, sat above board and drew Mr. Abel Roger's picture. The crew was steering the ship across the waves as the wind wafted through all their hair, Mr. Solomon hard at work as he worked to stitch up Mr. Roger's bandanna.

"My, my, that was quite the nasty storm we had last night." He confessed. "You're lucky this was all that was torn." He confessed as Eri, in turn, finished her drawing of the captain and showed it off to him as he, in turn, put down the violin he had, a few other crew mates practicing their instruments as well, especially a lovely flute player who was letting soft notes linger in the air.

"What do you think?" She asked as Abel took hold of the picture, gazing over it, eyes widening slowly. "I have to admit, I'm not into men, but you do have the eyes of an angel."

"How would you know? The Bible doesn't have any pictures." Abel Rogers remarked as Eri blinked stupidly at him before he laughed. "Kidding, kidding. I do have one with pictures, actually, one of the Catholic priests made it. He gave up his family officially to be a part of the church but unofficially, he still cared for them and his many children helped him with the drawings. He said he wanted the book to be understood even by a child, and while the text can be hard to comprehend, they can sure see pictures and know beauty and truth from that."

"That's not a bad idea." Eri remarked. "You can see much in a drawing. A picture is worth a thousand words, that's what I've always said." She confessed as a spray from a wave struck the boat. SPLOOSH! It gushed a bit of water over her face. "Oops!" She moaned, rubbing over her face as Abel hesitated.

"May I ask you something personal?" He wanted to know.

"Sure. Go ahead. I assure you, I've heard all of them before."

"What is it like? Being…being in love with a woman?" Abel wanted to know, hesitantly looking from Eri and then down to the cargo hold where Hadiya was.

"Have you ever been in love with anyone?" Eri asked of Abel as he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Yes. I had my heart set and stolen by a beautiful red-haired lass who reminded me of a mermaid. She too had soft skin like I, and we'd spend hours just lying on the beach, letting the wind waft over our faces. We would simply…talk." He remarked. "And she had this…this smile. This smile that nobody else could match."

"For people like me…our love's like that. It isn't any more different, Mr. Rogers. I assure you." She told him gently. "I remember when we first touched in that special way. Our fingertips barely touching, like a sensuous whispered vow of love. Two souls intertwined, growing as one, like the garland folded over their linked wrists…and a scent like lilac and baby's breath. That was our first kiss."

"Really?"

"…well, actually, our second. Our first kiss was more like baby's phlegm because both of us had eaten some bad seafood that day and we got sick all over ourselves." Eri confessed as she covered her face. "Oh, it was SO embarrassing. We just got covered in the stuff, but we were laughing hysterically over how ruined our first, big, romantic kiss was and that made us puke up even MORE. We also decided then and there to never eat monkfish again."

"Well, that's fair." Solomon said as he nodded. "I have a rule to never eat anything that looks disgusting when it lived, because it's probably going to taste disgusting dead. I've found it usually works well."

Meanwhile, down in the cargo hold, Hadiya was gaping in shock. She'd noticed something odd about one of the big boxes of cargo that the men had brought onto the ship and now she knew what was odd about it. Uttu! The purplish-skinned spider-woman nervously smiled as Hadiya gaped at her, looking into the large crate. "You stowed away?!" She hissed out.

"Please don't tell anyone." Uttu begged. "I just accidentally knocked some stuff over when I was stretching my legs last night. And I got a lot of legs to stretch because, y'know. Spider." She remarked, gesturing at herself.

"Oh ha, ha. Real funny." Hadiya sighed. "Look. I won't tell anyone, but you have  **got**  to stay more quiet and more careful." She said firmly as she poked Uttu squarely in her bare naked chest. "I personally don't want to believe you did those murders at the Hagia Sophia. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. I don't think the crew or Eri would. So can you stay quiet down here?"

"As a mouse." Uttu said, nodding eagerly.

"Good. Good." Hadiya wiped her brow. "It is honestly good to see you're okay." She confessed. "I was really worried about you, truth be told. I don't trust people in charge of that city to show you real justice. That sort of thing is for someone far greater to dispense."

"You believe in their God?"

"I don't really, no, but Hagia Sophia was very special to me, Uttu. What they did in their defiled it. Being in there was like…" She hesitated. "It reminded me of home. It was a very special place, and…and seeing what they brought into it disgusted me. Don't break my trust about this." She insisted. "Don't give me reason to doubt you." The Nigerian woman insisted as she put down the small crates she'd been carrying and headed back up to the top, as everyone began to play some tunes, Abel happily singing along with Eri and Solomon.

_**Where it's wave over wave, sea over bow,** _

_**I'm as happy a man as the sea will allow!** _

_**There's no other life for a sailor like me…** _

_**Than to sail the soft sea boys, sail the seeeaaaa!** _

"There's no other life but to sail the sooooft seeeaaa!" Abel finished the chorus in a softer, gentler tone as the flute's music softly wafted through the air, Eri standing alongside Hadiya as she tilted her head.

"You can't sing, Eri. I mean, you're a great artist, but you CANNOT hit those high notes. Too squeaky."

"I am NOT!" Eri pouted, her face a bit flush as the other sailors giggled a bit as Solomon chuckled.

"Well if you think that you can do better, you're welcome to try hitting those high notes yourself, Ms. Hadiya." He insisted. "Go on, you may wow us."

Meanwhile, Cu Chulainn twirled his sword in one hand before his men, as a dark quilt of clouds covered the sky above. An electricity tingled in the air as Cu Chulainn examined his men. He'd done exactly what his future self had bid him to do, the front line was reinforced with shieldmen, and he had insisted that young Elisud move to the back lines. He turned from his men to the plains outstretched before him, as Prince Asgore paced back and forth before his large platoons.

"Last time we did not fare well against the forces of Cu Chulainn. This time, however, shall be different. We've new warriors who were happy to bring their skill to our cause, and so we welcome you Dog Soldiers!" Prince Asgore said, placing a hand upon the heavily-armored frame of the leader of the current Dog Platoon, Muttler Senior. He had a thick waft of hair that was faintly sticking out under the large helm he wore, he and his platoon wearing strong black armor and carrying wicked-looking axes. Some had two smaller ones, others one big HUGE one, Muttler Senior, however, had something else.

He nodded firmly and Prince Asgore stood back as Muttler held up his paw and clenched it tight, a faint glow coming over his frame as a big, enormous magical axe manifested before his hand…then another, and another, a small storm of axes encircling over his head.

"I wondered why there were so few archers today." Cu Chulainn mused aloud. "Shieldmen, here it comes!" He roared out. "Let's show these animals how humans fight! And if we have to…HOW WE DIE!"

A roar from his men as they surged forward along with the flying axes from Muttler as his platoon let out a wolf-like howl. The axes sailed forth, slamming into the shields, embedding hard, but luckily, his line held. His talk with his future self had saved the lives of many men today as Cu Chulainn barreled forth at Asgore once again. "This time Prince Asgore, we're going to settle things once and for all!" He insisted as he leapt up through the air, bringing his mighty sword down onto Asgore, who raised up his hand and KA-KLANG! His shield caught it, Cu Chulainn cringing, trying to tear through the shield with his raw strength. The crashing of sword and shields around him filled the air, the cries of the wounded and the dying beginning to fill Cu Chulainn's ears.

"This land is OUR land!" Prince Asgore proclaimed to the red-haired warrior. "We've a proper right to it and you shan't keep us off it anymore!" He demanded. "We deserve a home of our own, you humans already have so much!"

"You're welcome to your fancy desires, I just love a good fight." Cu Chulainn explained. "You want to call that petty and small and childish, that's fine. I can't help myself any more than you can and hey, if you…ERGH!" Asgore managed to knock him back with a strong push, and then followed it up by charging forward. Though several soldiers raced forth to block his assault, Asgore barreled through them like a buffalo, sending them flying left and right before Cu Chulainn's sword barely managed to halt his advance. KA-CLAAANG. "If you win here, it'll be proof, I imagine, that your ideals were stronger than mine."

"No. It will be proof…our  **steel**  was stronger…not our cause."

"That's not an unfair read." Cu Chulainn told him. "You might be right. We'll see, won't we?"

Garamond the skeleton was currently racing forth alongside Muttler as his amazingly enormous sword slammed through the air, barreling hard into the shield carrier before him, one of Cu Chulainn's archers trying to hit him in the head. The shield not only shattered, the carrier himself was sent flying backwards, slamming into the archer and knocking him to the ground, the force of the impact crushing his very spine as Garamond swung his sword again at another charging soldier. The man was cleaved in two, Garamond turning to Muttler, who's surge of axes were manifesting above his head again, barreling down at the beleagued shield-bearers who were barely holding them back. If they wanted to win, they'd have to take care of Muttler's axe storm.

"You're doing splendidly, Muttler, my deepest and hearty congratulations!" Garamond's rather impressively loud voice proclaimed. "With skills like yours, we will take our land back!"

"What do you want to do when you finally have a proper home of your own? Maybe a new few acres?" Muttler asked of him as he ducked to avoid an arrow shot in his direction and he swung his arm at the attacker. SHA-THUNK. A magical axe embedded squarely in the archer's skull as he flopped down dead on the spot.

"Truth be told I've wanted a place where I can focus on my painting." Garamond confessed as he ducked in time to avoid a swipe from a swordsman, raising up his own enormous blade, cutting the man squarely in half, right up through the middle. He dusted himself off as blood sprayed all about, Garamond cringing. "UGH. For one, when I paint, I am never,  **ever**  going to use the color red. Seen enough of that damnable color to last me a lifetime, I promise you that. I'll paint beautiful scenes of blue skies and puffy white clouds, maybe a few Mediterranean scenes here and there…"

Muttler raised a thick eyebrow up before he caught one swordsman's blade in one hand "Have you ever  **been**  to the Mediterranean?" He wanted to know, punching the man squarely in his surprised face. Once, twice, thrice, finally knocking him down before he forcibly brought his thick foot down on the guy's head to finish it.

"Actually yes, I've been there a few times on trading ships with the Portugese, they're a very lovely people when you get to know them. The only problem is them trying to become Catholic."

"Ugh. Catholics." Muttler cringed. "Heretical pieces of shit." He remarked. "SO uncivilized." He added, another warrior barreling at him with an axe of his own only for Muttler to leisurely step to the side, trip him, and then he slammed his own axe right into the nape of the man's neck. "I mean really, they are so uncouth."

"Hey, you only think that way because they banned marriages involving your own relatives or in-laws." A voice rang out as Muttler barely avoided having Asgore be thrown onto him and Garamond, Cu Chulainn putting away his sword and shield, tossing them down to the ground as he cracked his gauntleted knuckles.

"I resent that remark!" Muttler proclaimed.

"Because you resemble that remark." Cu Chulainn laughed.

"He's got you there, Muttler." Garamond confessed. "Even I know you and your family have been marrying your cousins for years. It is a little…disturbing to my kind."

"Well half of YOUR kind comes from dead humans." Muttler snapped back, looking clearly very hurt by this. "You're "revenants", remember?" He then flinched as he saw the hurt in Garamond's face. "H-Hey, I-I didn't mean that, I…I just…"

"Look, I'd be more than happy to let you two continue talking, but I kind of want to punch you very, very hard right now." The celtic hero proclaimed, propelling himself forward with blue magic, slamming his fist into Muttler, beginning to just outright WAIL upon him as Prince Asgore rose up, helped by Garamond.

Meanwhile, at the back line, Elisud was hard at work, holding his hands high, green healing energy providing a large shield around him as he raced over to the injured, expanding the shield to encompass them as the laid down on his knees. With one hand still holding the shield up, sweat slightly dribbling down his brow, he rubbed over the man's bloodied, open chest and the wounds began to slowly stitch themselves up, healing before his eyes, turning themselves to normal, unbroken flesh and bone. Within a matter of seconds, the man was perfectly healed and Elisud smiled warmly at him. "Go. Help your friends."

"You're a an angel, sir." The man said, his eyes wide with awe. "Surely God himself has touched you." He remarked, picking up his sword and shield, racing back into the fray as Elisud raced over to another injured man. He'd been going from person to person, trying to heal as many as he could, but unfortunately, Prince Asgore had taken notice of him.

"…Garamond, launch me at him." He remarked aloud.

"What?"

"You heard me. I have a plan."

"Okay. I'll blue you, then." Garamond said, clenching his fists tightly as the tall skeleton monster enveloped Asgore in a blue light, and sent him in an arc straight at Elisud, who looked up a bit too late. THWOMPH. Now a big, giant puca was lying all over his green shield, Prince Asgore staring at him.

"…wait a minute, you may have a beard but…what are you, fourteen?!" He inquired, looking astounded as Elisud slightly blushed.

"I'm sixteen sir!" He insisted. "And would you kindly get off my shield?" He demanded.

"I'm afraid not." Asgore lifted up his fists and began to pound down upon it. THWAM-THWAM-THWAM! Elisud shook and shuddered, cringing as he held both hands up, panting a bit as more sweat beads broke out on his forehead. He was beginning to lose focus, he couldn't keep the shield up much longer! The good news, however, was that even then Cu Chulainn's forces were still winning. They might not have had as many people as Asgore did, but for every one human that was downed, three monsters, sometimes even four or five, were being slain. It was simply a matter of who could hold the line the longest before, at last, they broke.

The edge was definitely belonging to the humans. Bowen, Iolo, Gawain, Arthus and Dylann were in a heated fight at the front lines and their steel was swinging true. Dylann had speared a dog soldier through the chest and barreled forth with a roar, driving him AND the spear into another soldier with a loud war cry. Arthus was letting his arrows fly, sharp steel tips slamming into the necks of various bunny soldiers all about, a couple of Merman's arrows narrowly missing him as well, so he repaid them in kind…and he DIDN'T miss.

As one such merman fell past Ol' Bowen the Bowman had tugged out several arrows from dead compatriots, glowering angrily as he launched all three of them from his bow in the direction of their slayer, and the powerful-looking bulky knight monster squealed almost like a little kid, clutching at his neck, three arrows now embedded in it before he burst into dust. Gawain and Iolo's swords swung about through the air, slicing into the necks of various monsters, their own plate armor caked in dust.

"Look out!" Iolo called out to Gawain, who barely avoided getting his head taken off by one of the dog platoon soldiers. Iolo in turn threw his sword through the air and it slammed right into the helm of the attacker, who collapsed onto his knees and then shattered into dust, Iolo racing over to it as Gawain swung his sword through the air, cutting into the stomach of a merman who'd raced forward to axe Iolo as he dove for his blade. "Thanks." Iolo offered.

"Not a problem at all." Gawain said simply. "These people don't know when to cut their losses. And they are most definitely losing."

But unbeknownst to them, there was something most unpleasant about to happen at the camp. For Grillby had noticed Cu Chulainn's son was looking over the prisoners, put on watch along with several others. The rather messy, soft-haired lad, Connla, looked into Grillby's eyes.

"Excuse me lad. Could you please tighten these cold iron chains?" Grillby asked. He'd tried this trick on all the other guards, but these were new…and more importantly, Connla had never seen this trick done, and perhaps, just perhaps…was gullible enough to fall for it.

"What?" Connla looked very confused. "Did you say "tighten"?" He asked.

"Yes, you see, these darn chains are too loose. Whenever I even move a little the cuffs jangle about and bump my wrists again and again, it quite hurts. It would mean a lot to me if you could show pity and tighten them so they don't shake so much." He requested.

"…alright, fine, just this once." Connla sighed. "Dad said you were about as old as I was, so us kids gotta stick together."

Grillby felt something sharp sting inside his chest as he stood stock still, Connla approaching the cold iron chains that gripped Grillby's hands. As he prepared to adjust them and laid his hands on them along with the necessary key to tighten them…that was when he realized, too late, his mistake. For though the cold iron dulled his power…it didn't, after all, utterly get rid of it, and so-

"YEEEOOOWWW!" Connla howled, reeling back…and dropping the key. Grillby grinned, quickly racing down, slamming the key into the lock, popping his chains off as the other guards held up their bows and arrows.

Too late.

And so it was that the battle at the plains came to a sudden, horrible halt as everyone stared, seeing a big, huge, enormous explosion of fire that barreled into the sky not far away, Cu Chulainn's eyes now wide with fear and terror, mouth agape. " **NO!** " He screamed out, his voice pained and agonized. "RETREAT! RETREAT, DAMN IT, BACK TO THE CAMP! NOW, DAMN IT,  **NOW!** " He screamed, his pupils shifting, changing color, turning into seven pupils, his skin becoming red, his hands now pointed nails and body bulging and quaking, more muscular, more powerful, his eyes…brimming with tears.

The humans had no choice but to race, breaking formation, and those at the back were now in the best position. They were easily able to race away from the monsters, and Elisud realized with a sense of horror that his friends at the front line were in grave danger. He broke his own shield, leaping over Asgore who flopped to the grass below, and the young mage barreled forward at the front line, pushing past humans, ducking and diving away from monster blades, struggling to get to his friends.

Alas, they were surrounded on all sides. Try as they might, Bowen, Iolo, Gawain, Arthus and Dylann now had to contend with more monsters than they could handle. They were running out of arrows, Bowen trying to knock back dog soldiers with his bow as Arthus had to use the axe of a dead merman, swinging it desperately about. Dylann had been struck hard in the side and was visibly limping, Gawain and Iolo holding their weapons up tall and proudly, gritting their teeth. It did not look good at all.

It looked even worse at the forest. Grillby was now using his fire powers to wrap burning chains of his own around those left behind at the camp…with only Connla and his mother spared as they quivered, clutching each other tight as he gave them a dark glare.

"I want you to tell Cu Chulainn about this." He told them coldly. "Tell him this is the price he pays for what he's done. There's consequences for your actions. This is yours. Tell him that." He said as he made his way out of the forest with his new prisoners in tow.

Elisud, meanwhile, had reached his friends, barreling into the center, holding up his arms. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He summoned forth his magic, casting his protective green shield around them all, cringing a bit as Asgore and the others approached, Asgore holding up his gigantic trident at Elisud. It looked very, very bad. Every single human that had not fled had been killed, the stench of the dead and dying filled the air, salty iron stinging Elisud's nostrils.

"It is over, you have lost." Prince Asgore insisted firmly.

"I'm n-not giving up s-so easily!" Elisud insisted. "I can keep this shield up long as needed!"

"…you're throwing your life away. Stand down." Prince Asgore insisted again, cringing a bit, looking somewhat unnerved.

"Elisud, I think maybe you should have abandoned us." Gawain told him gently. "You can't save all of us. I don't think you've got the power to keep this going. You're not in a good state right now."

"It will have to be good enough!" Elisud said proudly as Asgore sighed and shook his head.

"Muttler…continue to attack this boy's shield and end this with the rest of your men. Garamond, come with me, we'll take the rest of our forces and chase after Cu Chulainn, we may be able to catch up with him at the forest." Prince Asgore told him as the skeleton monster saluted his prince, and the remaining monster warriors made a beeline off in the direction that Cu Chulainn and his troops went, Muttler and the Dog Platoon striking at the shield again and again and again. Elisud, in turn, cringed, sweat dribbling down his brow in thick beads, struggling to stay upright.

Again and again their blows came down on the shield, Elisud struggling to stand up, his body quaking. It felt like his insides were being lit on fire, like he was a gigantic wick, burning out from the inside. He couldn't take much more of it!

"AAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHH!"

Something had to give.

…something…

…

…

…

… "Thank you for adjusting the taxes." Toriel warmly told Tobias as they sat under the tree, the wind ruffling through both their hair as Tobias wrapped his arms around his legs, slightly burying his face in them. "Tobias? Tobias, what's the matter?"

"…I hate it, Toriel. Everyone keeps looking at me for what to do. I've been at this for weeks now and I don't feel any wiser or smarter or more capable. I'm…I'm being overwhelmed." He confessed. "But I just keep going on because they need me. And I KNOW it's selfish to want to just say "To hell with it", and to just walk away and leave but…but I can't help it. I've got basically no free time left. Everyone is almost always watching me. The only reason I'm even able to speak with you right now is because I've had to hire you on as a "liason" with monsters in town to act as a paid servant of sorts. They all think I'm giving you orders on how to tell the monsters to stop whining or something."

"They still believe a monster deliberately set fire to the castle, and I do not blame them, there are some genuinely bad actors amongst us. We are not so innocent." Toriel sighed in agreement as she patted his shoulder. "Despite what you've said here, Tobias, I want you to know, I would never think lesser of you if you did want to just give up. You've had to endure more than a child should, and you're right. It isn't fair at all. But simply acknowledging it isn't right or just is a good first step."

"Right. The next is…just roll up my sleeves and try harder, right?"

"No, the next step…is to DELEGATE." Toriel offered as Tobias's head shot up and he stared at her in surprise. "You have servants now. Pick people you can trust to take on some of the work so you  **will**  have time for yourself. You needn't shoulder every burden on your own."

"You're sure I can find people who can be trusted?"

"If you're seriously concerned and worried someone isn't…I can get some help from the monsters in town to secretly keep an eye on them. If it would please you."

GLOMPH!

Toriel stared down in surprise as Tobias hugged her tight. "I LOVE YOU!" He proclaimed with a big, stupid grin. "Oh thank you, Tori, thank you, thank you, thank you! How could I ever repay you?"

"Sweetie, it's nothing." Toriel insisted. "You've been a wonderful friend to me. I'm happy to help."

Meanwhile, in town, Gaster was at his house with his mother, in the small backyard they had. He was drawing in the ground, making large circles and, within those circles, symbols placed at specific spots as he scribbled writing that connected the symbols together, one after the other.

"And…here…we…go." He said, clasping his hands together, then slamming his hands down onto the circle.

It sparked and shimmered, a glowing, faintly blue light emanating from it before lines of light shot from it…to the small pile of rocks before it. A faint crackling noise rang through the air as they shook and bounced about on the ground and then PING! PING-PING-PING-PING! That heavenly ringing sound filled the air as every single one of the tiny rocks turned into gold.

"It works!" Gaster grinned eagerly as he looked down at his skeletal hands. He'd made his own symbols in a big circle he'd drawn on his hands, and it had reacted with the circle of alchemy he'd drawn on the ground. All things combined together, he was able to turn ordinary pebbles into gold!

Alchemy was a very dangerous branch of "scientific magic", there were strict principles to adhere to, the biggest one of all being "Equivalent Exchange". To gain something of value, something of equal value must be lost or given up. Luckily he had enough rocks there to make a proper amount of gold. If he'd had to little, he could barely make any.

Of course, alchemy was very, very forbidden by human governments for clear, obvious reasons. Making gold from nothing if you weren't a member of the government and cleared to do so meant that economies would go absolutely all over the map or inflation would hit or they could simply crash and burn. Even more important was the taboo of making people. It was essentially seen as outright sacrilegious to most religions in Europe. The Jews did have their legend of 'golems', he'd heard whispers of that type, but even they were not truly "people", just objects in humanoid form brought to life with a special seal who didn't even really have sentience. Trying to bring somebody back to life, or to create a brand new human being was…sickening. Horrifying. A power best left to God.

Besides, trying to do that also could mean trying to craft a private army. This was one of the reasons why making Golems or Elementals was forbidden too.

He had to be careful and ensure he didn't get caught. He gathered up the gold and hid it in his shirt pocket, quickly going to wash his hands off after scribbling out the alchemic seal in the ground. Had to get rid of the evidence, fast.

Soon he was rubbing his hands free as he glanced around the town square, taking notice of the fact that he was almost utterly alone. Well, almost. Gerald and that human mage, the white-haired one who'd talked to him a while back… Leopold, yes, that was his name. They were practicing more blue magic and currently using it at a small bench, both sitting down as Leopold was focusing intensely, looking at a fork that he was hovering out of Gerald's hand.

"You CAN feel this?" He asked, Gerald putting a single finger digit on the fork.

"Yes." Leopold said, hands glowing a lovely shade of blue as more forks slid out of Gerald's bag he had. Gerald touched others, several at once. "That too."

"My, my. The level of sensitivity is astounding, you're doing exceptionally well." Gerald confessed. "I have to say I'm very jealous of your skills."

"Thanks….I suppose." Leopold remarked.

"You've utterly mastered blue magic. I think it's time that we move on to the natural magic of your greatest attribute." Gerald told him. "Have you learned what that is?"

"I think I have, sir. Bravery."

"Ah! Well then, my little "lion", let's get to it!" Gerald proclaimed. "They're similar in a way to the light blue of Patience. If an opponent is moving, the attack is devastating, so if you use it as a kind of aura around you, launching yourself at an opponent striking at you, it'll do quite a lot of damage. They'll be hurt every time they try to strike at you! With your blue magic to keep others back, and orange magic to for if they come close, I don't think you could be beaten at all! But such skill is very tiring. Immensely so. So we'll have to build up your stamina."

"This means laps, doesn't it?"

"Laps carrying me. And you're going to go give me twenty!"

"Twenty laps around the town square?"

"No. Twenty gold pieces, I'm quite strapped for money right now, and I haven't had a good meal in ages. But that other idea's good too." Gerald confessed as Leopold hung his head and moaned a bit, picking Gerald up, hand a-glowing blue as he hut-hut-hutted his way around the town square, Gaster rolling his eyes at the ridiculous sight on display of Gerald a-hovering around Leopold like he was a butterfly trying to find a nice spot to land.

"Ugh. Mages." He mused aloud.

 


	7. The Pieces Move Across the Board, Pt. 4

"So, um, what should I call you, sir?"

Seiichi bowed his head before the son of the halo-headed dragon, having bid farewell to Master Genku, and promising to do all he could to remain safe. He'd hugged his fellow students goodbye, one after the other, and now was at the temple, in the back, not far from the forest entrance as his beloved animal friends watched on. Seiichi had very little, if anything, to pack. Being a student of Buddhism meant, plain and simply, no real attachment to physical possessions. After all, you took nothing with you into the next life but your soul, of what need did you have of fancy sandals or the like? Really, all he had was a small rucksack that he had slung over his back at the moment.

By comparison, the young-looking dragon before him was very much superbly dressed and with quite a lot of luggage. He had set down loads of bags upon the ground and was wearing something much more impressive than Seeichi's rather baggy Buddhist robes. It was an ornate gown, silver writing glittering along the sleeves, wrapping around his body almost like chains, and with taloned feet that had been finely and carefully shaved. He wore a fancy set of jewels that hung down in a necklace about his rather thick, scaly neck, his scales like gems themselves as he almost glowed in the light of the sun a-filtering down through the clouds above. He, like his father, had a halo-esque crown, but had a far shorter, almost cute, stubby tail, no whiskers, a distinctly draconic, reptilian face and his deep grey eyes that contrasted against his scales had the same ring of light surrounded them. But there was something different about him besides the clear youth in his eyes. There was…a very plain, ordinary-looking little copper ring that had been wrapped about his halo-horn, on the left side.

It was quite strange. Everything else about him was as haughty and regal as most dragons but that copper ring was so odd. Still, Seiichi didn't ask about that as the dragon spoke in a voice that was also not very regal at all, and distinctly youthful, almost…childlike. Had that voice not come from such a terrifying-looking fanged maw, Seiichi would have said he was hearing a 10 year old rice farmer's son speaking.

"If I tell you my name you have to promise me you will not, under any circumstances, make fun of it, laugh at it, mock it, anything like that. Okay?"

"Of course I won't make fun of you, no way. Not at all. It's not like my name's all that good, sir." Seiichi added. "It's supposed to mean "refined first son" but it is something of a joke, considering all of the other students here in the Buddhist temple come from fairly well-off, decent homes, and my family are…well, we're all farmers. We aren't important at all, let alone refined and posh. My name's almost an insult, when you think about it."

"Well, we actually have something in common, then. Because my name's Ryu."

Seiichi had promised he wouldn't laugh, but he almost burst out into a snort as he shook his head a bit, staring at the dragon in front of him. "Really? I mean, there's nothing really too bad about that name but…your name is literally just "Dragon"?"

"My father's name is Ryu, his father is named Ryu, his father's father, and their fathers, and so it has gone on and on and on." Ryu mumbled in a baleful tone. "It's a tradition, plain and simple, and I don't like it, not at all, but I'm nevertheless stuck with it." Ryu mumbled balefully.

"Are you more comfortable with me calling you by your surname, sir?" Seiichi offered, the dragon looking a bit surprised at this.

"I've never had anyone ask me that. It's Sakamoto."

"Would you like me to call you that?"

"I would." Sakamoto said with a small smile coming over his features. "Thank you, Seiichi. It's very kind of you to show such consideration towards me not because of what I am, but WHO I am. You're a very interesting human." He confessed. "I think it best we take our leave now."

"I'll miss all of you dearly. And I know, for some of you, I'll never see you again, most likely." Seiichi said as he turned back to the many animal friends he had made, giving a deep, enormous bow to them, hands clasped. "I want all of you to know that the memories I've made with you will, I hope, last a thousand lifetimes, and I pray even longer. I hope, when the time comes for all our ends, we find each other again somehow, in better times, perhaps better lives."

"We will miss you, Seiichi." The animals all said at once, as they, too, gave a bow. They didn't truly, completely understand all the tenets of Buddhism, but hey…neither did Seiichi. And besides…they knew this gesture was one of respect, and he had always respected and loved them. They could, at least, do this much.

With a final smile, Seiichi turned back, walking off with Sakamoto as he found a nice large spot to transform, his body mass shaking, muscles bulging as his form grew and expanded, turning into an enormous, sort of serpentine figure. A snakey body without wings, and yet he flew, hovering in the air, picking up his belongings, attaching them to his scaley body using a belt he manifested through a quiet chant murmured under his breath. He almost seemed like a big, scaly fish in how he hovered about in midair, turning to Seiichi, holding out a large, clawed hand. "Come on up." He intoned, helping Seiichi onto his back, and onto the spot on his belt where Seiichi could firmly tie himself down to.

It wasn't long before they soared up, up, high into the sky, Sakamoto slightly sliding up, then down, up, then down, as if riding upon waves as they barreled straight west, heading for the green lands of Ireland. "There truly is nothing better than a good wind in your face." Seiichi remarked.

"Well, I get that a lot." Sakamoto intoned. "I will admit though, human…the first few times you learn to fly, and you cascade about the land, they are magical, and beautiful experiences. You never forget your first. An entire world opens itself up to you, and all seems majestic when gazed upon from up here."

"I'm sorry the joy doesn't linger. I think, though, one of the teachings of Buddhism is that nothing truly lasts forever. All is fleeting."

"Indeed it is. I've also heard your kind don't believe in true evil." Sakamoto inquired. "Tell me, Seiichi. And be honest." Sakamoto now seemed somewhat pained, his voice sounded funny. "Do you, personally, think evil actually exists?"

"I'm not sure. I thank Buddha I've not ever seen it."

"Do you believe in selfishness? Cruelty? Because you will see much of that on the front lines." Sakamoto muttered. "And I think you may begin to believe in evil then. But for now, tell me. Tell me stories of when you first learned you could speak to animals. I'd like to know how you first learned of that gift."

"I'd love to. But I would like to ask you something. Um…is it…true…that you, um…that dragons…I mean…you eat people?"

Sakamoto very clearly hesitated, a faint stiffening perceptible in his frame as Seiichi knew he'd asked something the dragon was obviously uncomfortable about. At long last, Sakamoto spoke and he sighed.

"Yes. One of the reasons why we weren't exactly too put off at the prospect of war between monsters and humans is that we could offer ourselves to go to the front lines. Some of our kin were very happy to armor themselves and join the monsters, others even now have joined humans like I've joined you…because, in essence, it means a banquet for us." Sakamoto confessed. "Especially if there are many prisoners. And being able to easily change our size means that we could, if we wanted to, devour entire armies, cities even."

"Doesn't that…bother you?" Seiichi asked. "I mean…killing so many just to satisfy your hunger?"

"Many of us don't see it more much different than a human killing a chicken, or a pig or anything like that."

"But they can't talk."

"They talk to you."

"Oh c'mon, you know what I mean. They can't talk to most people. Besides, I'm a Buddhist, I don't eat meat anyway."

"Well, we unfortunately have to, human. Or we die. And we'd rather not do that, so if the choice is the death of others over ourselves, many would rather do the former than the latter. If a dragon has more…I suppose "decency" in them, they try to limit those they consume to unrighteous people. They'll get offered criminals by villages or cities or things like that. It is an arguably kinder arrangement than simply razing kingdoms, dragging damsels off like the western dragons like to do."

Seiichi was silent as the wind ruffled through his ponytailed hair and he bit his lip.

"You don't have to like it, Seiichi. But try to understand. Our race literally can't survive without meat. Until there's found some better way, this is what we have to live with." Sakamoto asked of him. "Can you understand that?"

"I want to try, but it still feels ugly inside just thinking about it." Seiichi confessed.

"Well…that's another something we have in common." Sakamoto mumbled quietly back at him.

…

…

…

… "You can't stay hidden down below in the cargo hold forever." Hadiya insisted to Uttu, the night sky slightly clouded over as she whispered to her spidery compatriot. The purple-skinned spider-woman folded her arms over her chest as she and Hadiya remained hidden behind large crates of cargo, Hadiya having snuck down some fish for Uttu to eat. Hadiya wasn't as put off or weirded out by spiders as Eri, and she didn't want to  **tell**  Eri that Uttu was down here. She didn't want to tell anyone, so she'd keep it nice and quiet and wait for Uttu to get off the ship and then talk about it to Eri later. She noticed Uttu's big, pregnant belly and she cringed a bit as a realization struck her.

"How far along are you?"

"If we remain here on this ship for more than a couple weeks, I'll give birth right here in this hold. They'll hear me for sure, and they'll toss me overboard. Their type are like that." Uttu muttered, glaring up at the exit to the cargo hold, her many eyes narrowed as she balefully glanced to the side and murmured curses under her breath. "Stupid Catholic scum. MY Goddess lives with me, theirs leaves behind an empty house. PTUH." She spat on the floor. "I hate them. Oh, how I hate them."

"I don't think Captain Rogers would do that, he seems very honorable and kind." Hadiya confessed. "He'd just have you work it off, I think."

"What, the way those Crusaders tried to get me to work for them? I think not." Uttu mumbled.

"Can I ask…who was the father, and, well…I've heard rumors." Hadiya bit her lip. Where she came from, the great myth of Anansi the Spider had been told, spread from the land of Ghana to her homeland of Nigeria. She rather enjoyed hearing about his tales, she enjoyed trickster stories. But there was one story she'd heard of that kept repeating when people talked about the "Arachne" monster. It was rumored that they would imitate their counterparts and devour the husband after sex. "Do you…I mean-"

"We don't just gobble up our husbands, if that's what you're asking." Uttu said, looking at Hadiya, shaking her head. "I've heard that tale before, we all have. I've heard stories about your own land, too. Don't you have the Mama Wata spirits?"

Hadiya cringed. "Yes. They're like…serpentine mermaids. They're very beautiful, and they seduce men to go to the river, but once they get in the river, their frames become scaley, like snakes, their mouths grow fangs, their nails grow out, and they drag men screaming into the rivers, never to be seen again. And even they're not as scary as the  **bush babies**."

"Those are real?!" Uttu looked astounded, her jet black eyes widening. She picked up one of the fish Hadiya had brought, biting down on it, slurping up the fluids from within, desiccating it with small sips as Hadiya leaned in closer, whispering softly.

"Oh, they're very, very real. Picture a calm night, no wind. You're just at the point of peaceful slumber, when you hear faint cries from outside. A baby's cries. Of course, you're concerned. You go out to help the little one. You kneel down, seeing a baby in the middle of a bush, face down, you reach out to pluck it up, and then…it wheels around! Eyes as red as burning coals, teeth like needles and daggers, a face that's not truly a face, and then…it GETS you!" Hadiya added with a dark grin, Uttu almost shrieking.

"Oh my! That is horrifying, absolutely horrifying. Are they some kind of monster?"

"We think they're some kind of demon. But nobody knows for sure, because there's barely been anyone who's ever found them…and lived to tell the tale." Hadiya whispered.

Uttu slurped up the fish she had been snacking on and looked at Hadiya thoughtfully. "You know, I think I can be honest with you, Hadiya. So I'll tell you something personal because…I see a lot of myself in you. And you're keeping my secret so well, what's one more? We Arachne don't gobble up our husbands. We only choose husbands that will willingly offer us themselves as food for us after we're finished giving birth. It isn't after every single sex act, it's only after our children are born. It's a way of life passed down from our earliest ancestors, it gives our male parents a sense of pride and self worth."

"Really, you actually…why?" Hadiya looked rather concerned over this, a faint queasy feeling rising in her body. "All of that seems a bit…harsh."

"Don't most of the western African tribes subscribe to selling captured prisoners and towns and cities into slavery? Except for the kingdom of Nri?"

"Well y-yeah, but…I'VE never personally done that, my father and mother never did, my grandparents didn't, that-that isn't fair!" Hadiya insisted, blushing a bit in the face, cringing, looking very hurt. "I can't be punished for what my ancestors did!"

"But I should be punished because of what my ancestors believe?"

"But that-that's not the same, I…I…" Hadiya trailed off, as silence uncomfortably grew, and she finally slumped against the wall of the cargo hold, biting into her lip as Uttu folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head a little to gaze at the young Nigerian woman.

"That's what I thought." Uttu remarked.

Elsewhere, Cu Chulainn was holding his head in one hand, the red-haired hero feeling, perhaps, at his absolute lowest point. His eyes seemed sunken as his wife rested a hand on Connla's shoulder. The camp was a burning, fiery mess, and she and he were the only humans still left there. Cu Chulainn's men nervously looked from him to his wife Aife as she gazed at him.

"You shouldn't have kept the elemental. You should have killed him." She growled darkly. "You should have just put an arrow in his head along with your other prisoners."

Cu Chulainn looked up at her, and his expression of dejected defeat now turned into astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You were the one who told me to keep prisoners and put them under the charge of you and-"

"Stop making excuses for your failure!" Aife demanded. "I can see Connla's not going to be safe with you anymore. We're leaving. I'm making sure he's far away from all of this." She insisted, looking down at her son. "Come now, dear. We're leaving. We're going to get far, far away from this land and someplace better." She remarked as Cu Chulainn rose up, a faint edge entering his voice.

"Aife, I  **forbid**  you to go. I've endured much from you, and yet never raised my voice nor struck at you, but you're making me feel a burning new level of anger I've never known. You can't take my child away from me. He's my son too, and you're refusing to take responsibility for your part in-"

Aife was already halfway across the campgrounds and before anyone could do anything…

SMACK!

Her hand slapped him hard across the face and he gaped, feeling the harsh, burning stinging of his cheek as Aife glared back at him.

"You shut up." She snapped, racing back over to Connla, taking his hand. "Come on, sweetie. We'll be better off away from this…monster."

Cu Chulainn looked back at her and he stammered and shook. He was trying to get the words out, trying to say something, but it was as if his brain had broken down. He could do nothing but watch as his son and his wife left through the forest, vanishing long into the dark depths, and he stared in the direction they'd gone, his eyes unblinking.

"Sir…? Do…do you want us to go bring them back?"

"I…I don't know what I want except to hit something." Cu Chulainn murmured out. "I think everyone ought to leave me alone right now and get out of here." He insisted, as he felt waves of boiling, furious, baleful anger rising in him. He had never, ever been so furious, and yet so cold. The level of betrayal, the sheer audacity of what had just happened, it was all washing over him, crashing into him again and again as his men wisely decided to head back the way they'd come, to race back to where the battle had been. Elisud, after all, had been left behind, perhaps he was still alive and could be rescued!

Cu Chulainn was howling like a madman. He screamed and bellowed, he tore his armor off, his muscles bulging, eyes becoming filled with seven pupils, making a large diamond shape within. His hands were now clawed and his teeth were fanged, his voice distorted by raw rage and pain and sorrow, his skin now burning red in color as he wailed and shrieked and cried. He struck at trees and stumps and rocks. He slammed his fists into the ground, craters forming with every strike. Again and again Cu Chulainn lashed out at all about him, as bitter tears swelled from his eyes and slid their way down his cheeks, and yet the more he lashed out, the worse he felt. Nothing he was doing was helping, and finally, at long last, he was just left in a clearing of his own making, chunks of forest floor upheaved all about, everything muddy and dirty and ruined as he flopped down. He sank on all fours, covering his head, openly sobbing again and again as the rain now began to fall heavier still.

This was the one thing he wished his future self had told him about. But he'd just assumed that, despite all his wife had said and done, she'd never…

His son would never…

"Damn…it." He managed to get out between his sobs. "Damn…it…I…I hate…I hate this…I hate…everything. I…hate…"

He didn't get the last word out. But he didn't have to. It was clear enough from how he looked.

_Me._

…

…

…

… "So tell me the s-story again. About the "invisible" m-mage."

Elisud was not in the best position at the moment. Even now he kept his arms held up and was heavily panting, stripped of most of his clothing save for a quickly-getting-sweat-soaked undershirt and a pair of briefs. He was struggling desperately to hold his arms up high, the green, shimmering shield of protective magic still surrounding him and his compatriots. Bowen, Iolo, Gawain, Arthus and Dylann had helped get the clothing off so he could feel more at ease, and his very soul itself shimmered, manifesting before them all, glowing a beautiful bright green…

But heavily shaking and quaking. It was as if it was in spasms, almost in a death throe. Elisud was trying to have a strong face as he looked over at Gawain, who's face remained hidden behind his helmed head.

"You sure you want me to tell you that one?" He asked. They were all closely crowded around Elisud even as the various monsters that surrounded him, Prince Asgore and Garamond included, waited patiently. Asgore was currently trying to set up a fire and a teapot to boil over it, Garamond, meanwhile, was scribbling down onto parachment, and writing a letter to his family.

"A-Absolutely." Elisud insisted.

"Very well. So, one of our old compatriots, Hector, was very, very drunk, and he liked to pretend to be a mage at parties with all of us, casting "spells", and having us do strange, wild things to impress the women. One thing he'd do is pretend to be "invisible". He'd cross his fingers like this." Gawain held up his pointer and middle finger, crossing them along with his arms over his chest. "And remain stock still, and go "I'm invisible! Can't see me!" And we would all see how still he could be. We'd poke him, we'd balance things on his head or his shoulders, it was a lot of fun."

"Uh…huh…" Elisud moaned out, panting a bit. Iolo rose up to wipe his brow as Gawain went on.

"So one night, Hector's done his "invisibility" spell for a woman. And she says she wants him to stay invisible while she slips into something more comfortable." Gawain went on. "But he has to stay standing on the bar. So we all leave him there and head out, back for home. But I come back early the next day, because old Hector hadn't returned. I open up the door…and what should I see? Hector's still there, arms and fingers crossed, looking about, and still as drunk as a skunk. And he asks me "Is…is she still here"? And the thing was, he'd been stuck like that for so long, his body had frozen all up, cramped and everything. I had to carry him over my back like a sack of twigs!"

"That's f-funny!" Elisud laughed, giggling a little as his arms waved. Bowen and Arthus raced to them, lifting them back up as Dylann knelt by Elisud's soul.

"It looks very sickly, Elisud. I don't know how much longer you can hold out. Can't we do anything more?"

"I'd n-never ask you to g-give your souls to me or a-anything like that the way I've heard m-monsters c-can."

"Only "boss monsters" can do that, you insensitive lout!" Garamond snapped, looking insulted. "The ignorance of you people! You know, we MONSTERS bothered to do research on all of you and your people, we know the very cities you're from, who your kings and queens are, even your cultural traditions, like your symbol of the red dragon!"

"My, my, those western dragons can be so very…uncivilized." Asgore confessed as he shook his head. "They do, in fact, eat people."

"You barely know anything about our kind. Yet you act like you're so much more "civilized". What audacity. What presumption." Garamond said as he finished angrily scribbling down on his parchment, finally finishing the letter. "The sheer nerve. You're all a bunch of dumb mules pretending to be noble horses."

"Beats being a horse's ASS." Dylann said, deciding to turn around and stick it out, tugging down his pants, exposing his VERY fat, rotund behind as the monsters gaped at the sight, and Elisud began to laugh hysterically along with the others, who slightly rested themselves against Elisud.

"HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Oh, it feels good to laugh!"

"Looks like there's a "full moon" out!"

Elisud smiled, feeling the warmth of his friend's frames against his. This felt nice, to still be together again, and so close, even despite everything that had just happened. It felt…natural…normal. Good…

His soul faintly shimmered, and pulsed, and Dylann gasped in surprise. It looked…better than before. Less sickly, more strong. He gazed from Elisud's smiling, happy face to the others all about, realizing he could faintly, ever-so-faintly, see their own souls a-manifesting in front of their chests, like an afterimage. "That's it! That's it! We can let our Souls help share the burden. He can't absorb our souls, but our Souls can strengthen his through sharing our comradery!" He remarked aloud. "By trying to keep him safe and happy, we're showing…kindness! Our kindness can empower the shield too!"

"Then I think a rousing song's just what we need." Bowen proclaimed. "Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair! One could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share! He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet, then he stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street!"

The other men all began to sing the chorus, laughing uproariously, a delightful, warm, fuzzy feeling rising in Elisud as he heard their voices cascading all about.

_**Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,** _

_**He stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street!** _

"About that time two young n' lovely girls just happened by! One says to the other with a twinkle in her eye, "See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built, I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt!" Gawain proclaimed.

Prince Asgore snorted, the tea in his cup slightly spilling out as Garamond groaned and tugged down on his skeletal face. "Ughhhhhh. Welsh and Scottish humor is so broad!"

"I find it charming." Asgore confessed with a small smile and a blush on his features. Truth be told…this was actually his favorite Scottish song.


	8. Putting Out Fires

"Remember…a is for the nominative, ae's genitive, and dative, am's accusative, the ablative's long a."

"So, a, ae, am, and aaaaa, then ae, ae, arum, is, os, is?"

"Yes. It's masculine. Remember, five apiece."

"And a is for the nominative, ae genitive and dative, am accusative, the ablative long aaaa."

Tobias was once more sitting underneath his and Toriel's "meeting tree", as puffy white clouds slowly ambled by in the blue sky above. The sun was slightly hidden behind one at the moment as soft wind ruffled through their hair, and Tobias's cheeks turned even rosier as Toriel patted his shoulder.

"Excellent, truly excellent." She informed him as they looked down at the parchment below, filled with Latin words. "You're picking up Latin splendidly. I have to ask, though, why have you never learned this sort of thing yourself? I would have thought your father would have imparted it onto you." She added. "Don't you and your family religiously attend service bi-weekly?"

"Well, I have to cut down on it to once a week with my new duties as the prince." Tobias muttered. "My father has never gotten around to Latin. I can speak English eloquently, I can speak French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, I know several languages of those to the Far East, but I know absolutely nothing about any of the "Dead" languages."

"I assure you, you're a very quick learner. We'll fix that in no time. I used to not know Latin either, but Father White was most helpful to me." Toriel confessed as she leaned back more against the tree and wistfully sighed, letting the wind waft through her hair.

"Have you managed to figure out who or what caused that fire?"

Toriel inwardly flinched. "Oh! Uh…" She gulped a bit. "I've continued to try and ask around to see if anyone knows who really caused that arson, but if it WAS Pyrope, he, nor his family, are letting anything slip. I've made no headway. I'm very sorry, Tobias."

"Please, I'd prefer you call me "Toby" when we're alone." He admitted. "You don't need to stand on ceremony, really."

The sad thing was, Toriel was pretty sure that Pyrope had, indeed, caused the arson. She just wasn't sure if it was on purpose or by accident. She had no way of knowing for sure, but she'd found out what he had done by asking his daughter if their father had been up to some "bad things" or had talked about "doing something bad".

She'd gotten quite a surprising answer.

"Daddy said he did something he's not sure was bad. He said it was good, but also bad." Little Pyra had confessed to Toriel as Toriel took her to the local bakery, buying her a delicious hot cross bun, fresh from the oven as they sat down to enjoy their little snack. "He keeps whispering about it when Mommy and he are alone." The little pyrope confessed nervously. "They sound really scared."

"Does your father drink?" Toriel asked of Pyra. "I'd just like to know." She knew that his species were so utterly entrenched in fire that the concept of drinking sounded almost ludicrous, but if she could prove he WAS drunk, then she could at least chalk it all up to "drunken accident from an already rather clumsy idiot".

"Oh, I don't think so. But Daddy can get all super happy and funny and weird when he eats charcoal. That grey rock stuff people use in fires makes him really happy and weird." Pyra confessed.

So it got him high, acted like a drug. Toriel was honestly not sure she wanted to keep investigating, because if Pyrope was guilty…then she knew she couldn't keep it a secret, she'd have to tell Tobias, she'd have to. She was a deeply honest person, and keeping secrets from people she considered so dear a friend was a horrible idea to her, a terrible concept.

As long as she didn't get any new information, she didn't have to tell Tobias, and therefore, get Pyrope in trouble. Things could just stay like this, and this was just fine. A good place to be.

"I'm glad you think I'm a fast learner because I have to be honest, it's driving me up the wall memorizing all this." Tobias confessed as he rapped the side of his head with the flat of his palm, his hand balled up into a fist. "Latin is a language, dead as can be, it killed of all the Romans and now it's killing ME!" He proclaimed as Toriel snorted, and laughed.

"Ha-ha-ha! That's funny, that's funny!"

"You actually like it?" Tobias looked a little surprised. "Sorry, I've never had anyone say they enjoy my rather terrible poetry." He murmured nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I enjoy more "lowbrow" humor, despite what you may think of me." Toriel insisted. "I find it cute and charming. Any other ones you know?" She wanted to know as Tobias grinned.

"How dirty do you want me to get?"

"As dirty as you can think. I'm a tremendously immature monster."

Tobias cleared his throat. "I call this one "Ode to Relief". I was inspired to write this after reading of the Chinese's fascinating development of a new kind of PAPER they have. Heh-hem. Here I sit in deadly vapor, for someone stole our toilet paper! Shall I lie? Shall I linger? Or be forced to use my finger?"

Toriel snorted again, as Tobias went on, now with a great, big, s—t eating grin on his face. "Here I sit, broken-hearted, tried to shit and only farted!"

Toriel was now laughing hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes as Tobias continued with his dirty little limericks. "I once took a shit near a wall, so big and so firm and so tall, that it balanced on end, that shit did not bend, but fell over and scraped my left-"

Toriel was now howling with laughter and rolling around on the ground, guffawing loudly, tears freely flowing as Tobias grinned stupidly. It felt good to feel so stupid and dumb and childish every once in a while.

Meanwhile, the sun had set on Captain Abel Roger's ship. A recent storm had torn at the tails and they were now drifting whilst Solomon worked tirelessly to help repair said sail, with Eri helping along, and Hadiya on guard. She had the best eyesight at night of all of them anyway because, back in her homeland, she'd often be out with her own family on guard duty for her village.

Eri was working hard alongside Solomon as the long, white-haired, dark-skinned man looked up, his thick glasses making it hard to see what color his eyes even were, though she thought she saw a faint hint of brownish/red. Perhaps he was one of those "Determined" Souls she'd heard so much about. He had his tongue slightly stuck out of his mouth as he finished sewing his spot on the sail, Eri getting distracted at the odd cross-stitching he'd done that looked rather ornate and like a-

"OW!"

She'd pricked her finger and swore viciously, shaking her head back and forth as Solomon saw the faint blood on her hand. He took it, looking her hand over but only for a moment, because Erimentha forcibly yanked it back. "Hey, none of that!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." He murmured, looking to the side as Eri sighed.

"Don't take this the wrong way, I just…don't like you. Something about you is unsettling to me. You've been perfectly gentlemanly to me and Hadiya but there's just something about you that's "off"." Eri confessed, seeing his slightly hurt expression as he then glanced back at her, then off to the cargo hold.

"Erimentha, do you know where I'm from?"

Eri looked him up and down, resting her behind on the floor of the boat as Hadiya pretended to not be listening. But Eri could tell she was, she had her ear ever-so-subtly tilted in their direction. "Based on your name and your skin color and the faint accent, I would say…somewhere in the Middle East?"

"Yes, I'm from Palestine." Solomon said. "I know people don't much like me here. They like me less there because the Palestinian people and the Jewish people have been getting into arguments and fights and conflicts for decades. I sided more with my Israeli father over my mother and it didn't end well, there was a vicious fight and my father was basically eaten alive, didn't stand a stance. I knew I couldn't stay under that roof, so I left, but nobody else would take me in because I look the way I do…and they were frightened of me. I mean, I was a very big child, and with big hands." He waved his hands in the air. "Being good at repairing clothing and stitching things up and making linen and the like, that was my saving grace, I managed to charm some traders and merchants while living on the street at a port, and I left my homeland and never went back. I know I'm not well liked. I know I look scary. This is just the best I can do, and I'm sorry if it still isn't enough for you."

Now Eri felt very, very guilty as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. I'll try to be less…uneasy around you."

"I'd appreciate that." Solomon said, going into a belt pouch he had, getting out some bandages he quickly wrapped around Eri's pricked, bloody finger. "There. Aaaaall better." He remarked. "Listen, I know full well your friend Hadiya is hiding something. I want you to talk to her about Uttu, I could overhear them, just barely, speaking in the cargo hold." He whispered as quietly as he could to Eri. "You need to do something. She's pregnant, isn't she? And going to give birth soon. What do you think her children are going to want to eat if we don't get off this ship? The nearest big sources of meat. And that's us." He added as Eri gaped in surprise, and turned a little pale.

"Uttu's in the cargo hold and Hadiya knew?!" She whispered swiftly back.

"Yes. Look, talk to her. She's your partner, I don't think it's a good idea for her to keep keeping this a secret, because if she gives birth, everyone will know and she'll be in huge trouble." Solomon insisted as Eri decided to let him finish the sails as she made her way over to Hadiya, and tapped her shoulder.

"We need to talk privately." She said, moving Hadiya down, down to the cargo hold as Eri folded her arms over her chest. "Uttu's here in the cargo hold. Solomon told me he overheard you speaking. Why didn't you tell me about this?!" She inquired, sounding very furious, her lip a taut line.

Hadiya gulped, beads of sweat slightly popping up on her forehead. "Look, I was going to tell you, just when we got to land, I had no idea that storm would pop up and our sails would-"

"So you'd tell me AFTER you were done keeping a secret, not during. There's no real reason you couldn't tell me, Hadiya, we should be able to be honest about this sort of thing, and we shouldn't keep secrets from each other." Eri insisted.

"Uttu didn't want me telling anyone else, I made a promise." Hadiya muttered, glancing away.

"You also promised me when we first got together you'd be honest and tell me about any issues-"

"I didn't see this as an issue!"

"Well, maybe you should have!" Eri said, turning away, Uttu nervously poking her head out from behind a big cargo crate as Eri folded her arms over her chest and "harrumphed". "I mean, she's pregnant and going to pop any day now, and her kids WILL be ravenous, won't they? And we don't have a lot of MEAT on board, Hadiya. If you'd told us she was here, we could have done, like, more fishing and gotten a ton of meat-"

"Wouldn't you have suggested we toss her overboard?" Hadiya inquired. "You  **hate**  spiders, remember?"

"Well I'm not gonna say we toss a pregnant mom overboard, even if she IS creepy!" Eri defended. "Why can't you just admit you're wrong?"

"I'm not wrong, I'm just trying to do right by somebody who's terrified for her and her children's lives!"

"That doesn't mean you're not wrong!"

"And you turning away and crossing your arms doesn't mean I'm being unreasonable!" Hadiya snapped.

"Oh, I think you'll find it does!"

Uttu gulped a bit. Hoo boy, a lover's spat.

"Listen to me!" Hadiya said, grabbing Eri by the shoulders, turning her around, tossing the short sword she was using for guard duty to the ground as she flung her arms in Uttu's direction. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just had a lot on my mind! And Uttu didn't trust the crew to not do something, even if the Captain himself wouldn't mind!"

"It's not my fault Uttu's so paranoid."

"It's not paranoia if it people are really out to get you!" Hadiya snapped, losing control, gesticulating with her hands…as it happened. For the very first time, it happened. Her yellow Soul manifested right in front of Eri, and THA-THWOOSH! From her flailing hands shot forth projectiles of yellow that embedded into the hull of the cargo hold! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP! They gazed on in shock, Eri gasping, racing over to the yellow projectiles, looking them over.

"Amazing…Hadiya, you…you lost control and you activated your power for the first time!"

"What…are they?" Hadiya inquired as she, Eri and Uttu examined them, Hadiya looking them over, Eri poking them.

"They feel like…small thick and round arrow tips." She murmured. "How did you call them forth?"

"I don't know, I was just worked up over the thought of what would happen to Uttu if the authorities from the port or their like got hold of her and I just felt this wind rushing up inside me that was hot and heavy." Hadiya confessed as she scratched at her head.

"It must be activated by an intense sense of justice, then." Uttu offered. "When you get worked up over such things, your mage power reacts."

"I guess so." Hadiya confessed before she blushed. "But…seriously, Eri, I'm…I'm sorry, I probably should have told you."

"I'm sorry I yelled." Eri added. "I'm just glad this is all out in the open. I won't tell the crew or captain if we get to land within…three days, but if we don't, we  **have**  to tell them. Sound fair?"

Hadiya turned to Uttu, who hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose."

"Good, good!" Eri wiped her brow. "Now I think it's best we all get some sleep." She reasoned. "And Hadiya, I think, tomorrow morning, we should try to do double fishing duty."

"Good idea." Hadiya said, giving Eri a kiss on the cheek. "Again, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I know you meant well, but from now on…no more secrets." Eri intoned gently, kissing Hadiya back in return on the lips…who returned the kiss, as their breathing became hot, and heavy…

…

…

…

… "Eli!"

Elisud looked up. Ah, thank goodness. Far off in the distance he could see Cu Chulainn's men racing towards him and his compatriots. They'd kept the green shield up the entire time, empowered by their kindness towards each other, but even that was beginning to reach its limits, there was only so much they could give. Now the young, bearded man grinned in delight as Prince Asgore saw Cu Chulainn and his men coming back for more, the red-haired, armored folk hero bringing up the rear and looking…dour, depressed, and rather disgusted. Asgore had never, ever seen him so miserable and angry.

"The dust we will bite. Best exit stage right." Prince Asgore recommended to Garamond. "We've tried the best we can, but it's clear we won't be able to get hold of this mage's soul."

"So it would appear." Garamond confessed. "He who fights and runs away does live to fight another day. Retreat?"

"RETREAT!" Prince Asgore called out to the remaining forces with him. "Fall back, fall back, we're getting out of here!"

"Yeah, you better run, you stupid goat…" Cu Chulainn muttered as his men approached the green, round shield of magic that now housed Elisud and his friends. "Well at least you're alright, Eli. I'm glad our day today wasn't an utter loss, you've clearly learned to keep your spell up to amazing degrees."

"It's all about kindness, sir." Elisud said as he laid his arms down and approached Cu Chulainn…and then hugged him, Cu Chulainn looking astounded.

"Wh…what're you doing?"

"I can tell you need a hug, sir. You're in a bad way."

Cu Chulainn normally would have shoved a man off him for hugging him. Such a thing would normally feel creepy and unnatural, and yet…he didn't mind it from Elisud. "…yeah, I reckon I do, little Eli. You've got a way with people I admire." He commented. "A softness, a gentleness of spirit in you that I can respect."

"People need to be good to each other, Cu Chulainn. Because our world won't be good to us. It's filled with sin and hardship, and that's why we're here. To make it better, to make it kinder, and to make ourselves better and kinder still. My faith teaches me to make a Kingdom of Heaven right here, on Earth, through charity, good works, and faith."

"I don't believe in your God, boy." Cu Chulainn remarked. "But it's a nice philosophy to have. In better times, I might believe in it." He added. "But right now, my wife and child have left me, and we've lost our prisoners. I very much need cheering up."

"Maybe some drinks and a rousing song around a fire?" Elisud offered.

"As long as it doesn't involve the word "wife"."

"Not a problem, sir."

Meanwhile, Grillby was overseeing the prisoners that they'd obtained from their own "prison break", Sir Grillersby the Fire Elemental pacing back and forth, hands behind his back…and a large, enormous bonfire had been erected behind him as the many prisoners stood in front of him. The sky was a beautiful, lovely shade of dark blue right now as night was beginning to fall, the faintest flicker of stars were forming as the other monsters looked on. The prisoners had been tied carefully, bound by their hands and their feet with a bit of irony…cold iron chains.

"Consider this punishment for all you've done to me and to our kind." Grillby finally proclaimed, turning to glare at them all with piercing white eyes as Courier gulped a bit, the rather terrified-looking skeleton archer moving to the far back, away from most of the other monsters. "Courier alone got taken apart and put back together a hundred times wrong. I'm tempted to do the same to all of you. Instead, I'm just going to execute you. We don't have the resources to keep you with us anyway. Consider this mercy compared to what I WANT to do."

He gave a firm, curt nod at the monsters right behind the prisoners. They all began to shove, toss and kick the prisoners into the roaring inferno, the prisoners screaming and howling in terror and pain, Grillby watching on, unblinking. Again and again, human frames were tossed into the fire to be helplessly burned up within those roaring flames, snapping and popping noises filling the air along with the sizzling of burning flesh. Grillby didn't care one iota.

He simply folded his arms over his currently armorless, bare chest, reduced to wearing only his special pair of fireproof pants now, everything else had been taken from him when he'd been taken prisoner. So now  **these**  prisoners would feel a FRACTION of the pain and agony that he had felt whilst being Cu Chulainn's prisoner. Served them right, years and years and  **years**  of mistreating monsterkind and now these…these real monsters had to gall to try and expect mercy-

And then it happened. There'd been barely any younger prisoners they'd taken with them, the others had been killed at the camp. But one mother and her infant boy had been taken prisoner by Courier, who now looked very sick as the mother got tossed into the fire, screaming, the child she'd had in her arms being tossed at it too…but landing, instead, just barely in front of it, but still too close for comfort.

Hearing the youngling's cries, Grillby suddenly felt something sharp and horrifying pierce his chest. He looked mortified and disgusted and barreled at top speed, picking the baby up in his hands and his arms, clearly disturbed by what had happened. "What the hell?! Who threw him?!" Grillby snarled angrily. "What sort of stupid, sadistic-"

But Grillby hadn't been thinking. The average human, even the average monster, couldn't touch his body, he had to concentrate to ensure that his form didn't burn things up. And the poor child in his hands and arms…

The others gasped, some reeling back. A few looked disgusted themselves, Courier covering his mouth, the slender skeleton looking mortified and his eye sockets wide with terror as Grillby now held what…had…been a little baby boy in his arms, so badly burnt that…that…

Grillby began to sob. He sobbed and sobbed, crying uncontrollably, flopping onto his hands and knees, and he wailed without end. Even when Prince Asgore finally arrived, Grillby hadn't stopped, and only finally ceased his horrified, self-disgusted screaming and wailing when it hurt his throat to much to try. He would remain curled up in his tent, and he didn't speak to anyone as the days would go by.

And he refused…to go back to the front.

Ever… **ever** …again.


	9. Friendships End and Begin

Earlier in the day, W. D Gaster had been intent on returning several library books. He'd been doing research, as best he could, into the various types of magic. Blue magic, especially, despite his best efforts, the little skeleton monster just couldn't seem to properly manifest it. But as he'd raced down the cobblestone path, only a few dozen feet from the library, Gaster had run into a human girl. Literally!

His books had flown everywhere and he and she had begun picking them up, and then it had happened.

His hand touched hers as he and she reached for the same book. She'd slightly gripped his bony hand, her teal eyes gazing into his own black sockets, and she'd stared at him, mouth agape. And the words she'd said.

"Your _HAND_." She whispered out.

"Yes?"

"It's...fuzzy. It's so...soft." She murmured, looking down at it, lifting it up, feeling over it with her own hands, her eyes getting wider. "Like...it's like the hair on a comfrey leaf." She muttered out. "I thought it would be hard and bony but...its so fuzzy. It's...nice."

She held his hand, looking at it for a long time, then at him. He stared back into her, and as she held it there, the other humans looking at each other, confused, a bit surprised, Gaster thought he saw the girl crying, and trying to hold it back in her eyes. She let his hand go, picking up the last of her books and quickly walked away, leaving Gaster's books in a small pile right in front of him.

Her eyes. Those…those deep teal eyes. Why did he keep thinking about them…?

Meanwhile, Gerald was astounded at how much progress Leopold had been making in his work to build up stamina. The long and white haired young man was now able to race in laps around the town square with ridiculous ease, and without even getting remotely winded, which was more than Gerald himself could say. The poor, squat, rather ugly-looking monster may have had more than two legs but even that didn't allow him to move as quickly as Leopold could.

So now, Leo had taken to holding him in his arms as he barreled around the town square, or at least, he'd done that for the first month. Now in the second month of training, he was actively carrying Gerald in the air with his blue magic.

"Hup-hup-hup-hup-hup!" Leopold jogged vigorously around the town square as people looked on, Gaster watching with his mother as they stopped at the town square to observe people were crowded around several men that were taking money.

"Step right up, step right up, place your bets!"

"What on Earth is all this?" Arial inquired, looking confused, the rather slender-armored female skeleton monster approaching, tilting her head a bit. A few of the humans nervously shuffled to the side, but the bearded man who was taking people's gold and putting it into a bag as he eagerly watched Leopold and Gerald grinned at them.

"Ah, you've noticed our fine friends over there are training? Well, when our white-haired young lad finally comes to a stop, poor Gerald gets sent flying because Mr. Leopold hasn't quite learned how to turn his blue magic off at just the right time. He always forgets to lower "Gerry" down, and because he's tied the magic to himself, when HE comes to an abrupt stop, ol' Gerry goes flying! WOOSH! Right through the air and crashing into something, and we're all a-taking bets on what he'll crash into!"

"Has he **ever** managed to stop Gerald from crashing into something? Once?" Gaster spoke up as he adjusted the glasses on his face, his red scarf slightly wafting about in the air as he looked at Leopold, watching him run. The way that his white hair wafted about in the air as the wind blew through it reminded him of his scarf, it flowed so smoothly and sleekly…

"Not once, nope. Not at all."

"Could…I make a bet that today, he does?" Gaster asked. "I have a little gold."

Arial gave Gaster a frown. "Gaster, you should SAVE such gold for what we really need."

"I earned it fair and square, mother." Gaster protested as he shook his head back and forth and looked up firmly at her. "There's no harm in betting just one little gold coin on this." He said, handing the gold coin to the bearded man as he took the coin and looked it over. He bit it, testing its texture, and then nodded.

"Monster or human, gold's gold." The man chuckled. "Everyone's equal in my eye, lad. Let's see if you actually win anything. The smart money today is that Gerald's going to go flying into the vegetable stand." He said, the red-haired man gesturing at the vegetable stand off in the distance, not far from what was clearly a FREQUENT spot that Gerald flew into, the window of a bakery that had been a frantic baker putting up boards, hammering away swiftly.

"No wonder Leopold has to wear the same clothes over and over, all his money must go towards paying for repairs." Arial intoned as Leopold began to pick up the pace, reaching his final lap. "Oh! I think he's just about ready to stop."

Indeed, Leopold finally came to a halt, skidding on the stony ground below, Gerry letting out a squeal as he went flying right towards the vegetable stand, is owner tearing at his hair. " **My cabbages**!" He sobbed aloud. But then…

WOOMP.

Gerald halted in midair, his form still clad in blue magic, Leopold holding out a hand as he then clenched it, and…WHUMP. Gerald landed on the ground below, panting, wiping his brow a bit as Leopold turned around and smiled in delight at everyone else assembled, giving a very enormous, shit-eating grin.

"Of all the days he pulls it off…" Some people were muttering and mumbling rather mutinously as Gaster grinned and collected his VERY sizable winnings, which he deposited into his and his mother's pocket as the crowd dispersed and Leopold and Gerald made their way over.

"Did you want some?" Gaster asked as Arial shook her head.

"Son, no, you won that fair and square."

"I don't want any." Leopold said with a smile, giving Gaster a very knowing little wink indeed. "I knew you were watching and I overheard what your bet was."

"WAIT." Gaster's black eye sockets bulged wide. "Wait a moment. Have you been capable of stopping Gerald from soaring off this whole time?"

"Only in the past two weeks. I've been letting certain people's bets win." Leopold said with a chuckle. "Gerald and I have gone around to folks houses and encouraged them to come see my skill, and while we're there, we've gotten a good peek at how people are living, if they're doing well, if they could use a little extra money, so we've been sort of "fixing" the whole thing to help them out. Now that you finally showed up, we decided you deserved a bit." Leopold laughed.

"We don't want any charity." Arial protested.

"Speak for yourself, mom, I like gold." Gaster laughed with a snort as Leopold sniggered.

"There's no harm in bending or breaking the rules every once in a while for a good cause." Gerald intoned to Arial. "After all, Gaster's been doing alchemy, hasn't he? And that's forbidden."

Arial deeply blushed at this. She knew full well about it, that was true. "Well, I mean…okay, you may be right, I don't mind him going against the ruling upon alchemy. We monsters have never had such a taboo against it."

"So then there's no harm in a little charity like this, then." Gerald said with a big smile as Leopold nodded, and the two walked off, heading for their home. "You two have a nice afternoon." He called back as Gaster thoughtfully stared after them.

Come that night, Leopold was awoken by somebody knocking at his window. He rubbed his eyes, looking outside, seeing Gaster of all people was there, and he opened the window up. "Yes?"

"Listen, I…I'm not good with blue magic myself. I didn't just take up alchemy because I've got a talent for it and because I wanted to make a little extra money for my family. I took it up because I found it easier than accessing the talent for blue magic within. Could you…give me a little help? How did YOU first master blue magic?"

"Okay, okay, sneak in." Leopold urged him, Gaster climbing into the room as Leopold quickly closed the window up and he brought Gaster over to his desk, lighting up a candle by calling forth a small pair of stones that he swiftly struck together, the sparks striking the candle wick and making the room light up as Leopold smiled. "Look here." He told the skeleton monster as he pulled out a collection of papers from his desk and set them down.

Gaster looked them over, tilting his head slightly to the side. The papers showed an image of a human body, and what looked like a sun on the inside with rays beaming out from within. "Blue magic is an inner power that's tied into a human soul. Even the faintest glimmer of a human soul, a soul barely held together, barely human anymore, can access blue magic, and blue magic is the magic of **Integrity**. In fact, Integrity and Perseverance are sort of brother and sister to "Determination"."

Gaster scratched his head. "How so?"

"Perseverance means continuing to try, trying to keep moving forward, to keep at whatever it is you're doing. Integrity means sticking to your principles, owning up to the wrongs you've done and trying to do right, even if its hard. And determination is the resolve to change fate, to keep living, staying true to what you believe. All of them involve some kind of will and resolve, they're like three sides to a triangle." Leopold reasoned.

"How can you master Integrity magic if you don't bending the rules? Wouldn't sticking to the rules show integrity?" Gaster asked, scratching his head.

"If you think you can do more good by NOT doing that, it's not showing no integrity at all. It's sticking to your moral code, and that IS integrity." Leopold said.

"So sometimes you have to enter the darkness to preserve the light." Gaster asked as Leopold nodded. "I admit, that isn't exactly a very…well, "Christian" way to look at it."

"We don't exactly live in a "Christian" world." Leopold said. "If we all lived like how God has asked us to, there wouldn't be suffering or agony or evil, we would have stamped it out ages ago. But we've fucked things up for years and years and now we're surprised at the rather lousy world we left ourselves. I don't blame **God** for what happened to my family, **people** chose to do evil."

"I know the theory. Evil didn't come from God, it came from good." Gaster said with a gentle nod. "Evil is good spoiled, good gone rotten. It wouldn't exist if not for good, and a world without goodness wouldn't be a moral world at all."

"So that's why we have to be good to each other, and stick to our ideals." Leopold said. "We do that, and we'll make a better world for everyone."

"If they're the **right** ideals, of course."

"Yeah, that's fair." Leopold said. "So remember, when you're using blue magic, you need to think about the ideals you hold." He told Gaster, taking his hand. "Hold onto them. Picture them in your mind, almost grasp them like a friend. You do that, and the rest will begin to come naturally to you. Start off small, lift little stuff. Kitchen things. Rocks. Leaves. No living things, they're far harder."

Leopold realized that Gaster had slightly blushed. His cheeks were a little flush right now and he let go of the skeleton monster's hand, blinking down at it in surprise. "Your…texture. It doesn't feel hard at all, it's so…soft. Almost like the tiny hairs on a leaf." He murmured quietly.

"I've only ever had one other human hold my hand like that." Gaster admitted. "A brown-haired girl with glasses. We ran into each other on the street, I spilled my books all over, she began helping me pick them up and our hands touched. It was so…strange." He confessed. He seemed to be staring ahead as if at some far-away point, and then he shook his head quickly. "Anyway, th-thank you sincerely for your help. I'd like to meet you again later. Goodnight." He quickly murmured, sliding out the window again and racing off through the alleyways, heading for home, and slinking in his own bedroom window.

He closed it up, flopping onto his bed. That girl's eyes. Leopold's hair, and the texture of the human's hands. So…soft, yet firm. Like his own hands.

A thought had popped into his head. A thought that kept repeating every time he began to look at other humans his own age.

Why? Why are humans such beautiful life forms?

"Oh my Lord." He murmured aloud, his black eye sockets bulging wide. "I'm such a perverted little skeleton. I'm desperately in love with the existence of humans!" He realized. "I…I have a twisted desire for humans! To think my puberty would lead me to this!" He moaned. "UGGGGHHH."

His family was going to drive him nuts over this, they'd never approve of him being into humans. He had to keep this a secret. He just had to. But even as he drifted off into sleep, promising himself he'd never tell anyone of his feelings, he kept dreaming about holding so many soft hands, feeling their bodies pressed up against his in tender hugs, and…

Lips.

What did…human lips feel like?

Was it nice?

He wanted to know. So badly.

…

…

…

…Seiichi had known that Sakamoto the dragon was going to have to eat something. Now, at last, the dragon had touched down not far from the green lands, not far at all from Ireland at least, by comparison. They had touched down in Kiev, the skies about clear of clouds, and not an ounce of wind blowing as they landed. It was cold out, very cold indeed, you could faintly see your breath lingering in the air as Seiichi looked about. They'd landed by a beautiful river, the Slavuta, to the Slavic people, or the "Dnieper" to the Russians, and Sakamoto was taking big, long gulps from the river's edge as Seiichi noticed that the city of Kiev wasn't far off from something they'd seen only moments before, soaring above in the sky.

As they'd approached Kiev to let Sakamoto get some food for himself since Seiichi wasn't personally hungry, they had seen an immensely large band of brigands. In fact, they were an outright horde of brigands, wearing thick boots designed for horseback riding, a sash tied around their waists with tobacco pipes and knives and cups and other things hanging off them. They'd had big robe-like wraps around them like an overcoat, closed diagonally from the side to the front, and they were carrying wicked-looking weaponry as they raced on their horses, towards Kiev.

Now Seiichi could see them setting up encampments not far from where they were right now and Sakamoto raised his head up, the dragon's eyes glittering.

"Ahh, I recognize them. Mongols. They're not a very pleasant people at all. Their leader Genghis Khan, has ravaged much of the land of China and he personally executed the entire Imperial family of the Tangut, who reigned over northwestern China." Sakamoto intoned. "I've heard tale he even ordered one of his sons, Joichi, poisoned. I wouldn't put it past him."

"What're they here for?"

"I imagine Kiev." Sakamoto suggested as he focused, transforming himself on the spot from his enormous, draconic form into his more humanoid appearance clad in robes and his fancy necklace. "Look." He pointed with a clawed hand, Seiichi looking across the lake and seeing what was distinctly catapults. "You don't have weapons of war like that if you are just visiting, oh no. Not at all."

"We have to try and talk them down."

"You do that, you'll die." Sakamoto informed Seiichi. "Plain and simple. The mongols don't believe in pacifism. Genghis might allow Buddhists to teach what they want if you just pay your taxes to him, and he believes very strongly in religious freedom. One of the only things we dragons respect about him. He may be a brutal, ruthless genocidal warlord, but at least he'll let you believe in whatever you want. He's a "Tengrist", a believer in Shamanism, not Buddhism."

"Well we can't just let the people of Kiev suffer." Seiichi offered. "Can't you, like…scare the mongols off by being all big and scary and going "RAHHHRR!" He waved his hands in the air. "THIS CITY IS UNDER MY PROTECTION, TRIFLE WITH ME NOT" or something?"

Sakamoto chuckled. "Dragons do not go "rahrrrr"." He laughed. "But tell you what. I'll try and scare them off. You, meanwhile, can pay a little visit to Kiev and tell its people that we're here to help, but we're also rather hungry, and could use, perhaps, some cattle to tide me over?"

"I…suppose that's fair." Seiichi said, though he was clearly disturbed by this. "A fair trade for saving the city. I'll go speak to the cattle themselves, even." He offered as Sakamoto smiled back at Seiichi.

"Your concern for the lives of others is an honorable and noble trait. I do hope you never lose that." He confessed as he stepped back and transformed anew, his enormous, draconic form manifesting as he flew off towards the Mongols, and Seiichi made his way to Kiev, people already beginning to form at the front gates, looking astounded and shocked as Seiichi approached them.

"You were speaking to that dragon!" One of them finally spoke up, as their whispers and murmurs got quieter. "Are you his emissary?"

"What would he ask of us?"

"Does he want our virgins?"

"Or maybe our sluts? We've got a lot more of those."

"No, no, no. He'd just like a little cattle, he's very hungry." Seiichi insisted. "I'm going to try and find some for him. Could you lead the way? He's trying to scare those awful mongols encamped on the lake away from you, they have catapults and want to sack Kiev." He told them as the people of Kiev murmured even more furiously amongst themselves. Seiichi could see clear, obvious fear beginning to manifest in their eyes before one of them spoke up anew.

"You're welcome to come inside, we'll go get our mayor and have him speak to you. We've no doubt a dragon can easily contend with those mongols." They said. "But I take it you have some kind of…ability? A dragon wouldn't just travel with any old human, especially wouldn't let them RIDE him! They're far too proud."

"I am but a humble Buddhist mage." Seiichi confessed. "I can speak to all animals, that's my ability, good people." He said as he bowed, clasping his hands together. "It's a simple skill, really, and I am a simple person with simple needs and desires. I only want to try and help your city and keep it safe from sacking. I've asked the dragon to show mercy even towards the mongols, to try and simply scare them off without harming them."

"I doubt they'd show such kindness to you, but come on in." They let Seiichi inside as the wind began to finally pick up, wafting his ponytail about as the rather tubby young Buddhist was brought along towards some large pens of cattle. "We'll get our mayor, you can, ah…pick whatever cattle you like."

Seiichi nodded back at them as he cleared his throat. "Hello, good bulls and cows. I am Seiichi."

The cattle all gaped at him in surprise as he held up a hand and warmly smiled. "I'd like to talk to you about what's happening. There are mongols close to Kiev with weapons of war, they want to claim the city. I have a dragon who's a good friend that's trying to scare them off, but in exchange, he'd…well…" Seiichi's smile faded. "He wants to eat a few of you as payment for saving the city."

"And you'd like to ask some of us to give up our lives for a dragon?" One of the cows asked as the steers slightly grunted amongst themselves, others looking about. "I suppose you think it's fair, a few sacrificed to ensure a multitude don't die."

"I don't like it at all, good sir." Seiichi insisted to the cow. "I'm a Buddhist. I detest the loss of any life."

"An honest human." The cows and steer looked intrigued. "Wow. That's new." They murmured amongst themselves as Seiichi sighed and hung his head, the guilt stinging slowly up his body like the tiny pricking of bee stings when he felt, suddenly, a shudder stick into him. A horrible, nasty coldness that made him lift his head up. "The Willies".

Something had went horribly wrong with-

_"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRRRRRR!"_

Seiichi wheeled about, eyes widening as he raced off for the front entrance of Kiev, people staring in shock and terror, eyes bulging, mouth agape. Sakamoto's frame had been hovering in the air above the camp but now…now his form was shrinking, turning into his more humanoid form as nets were thrown on him and…and his body was surrounded in a blue glow. Oh no. OH NO.

"They've got mages too." Seiichi realized with a sense of horror. "Oh dear. Oh dearest Buddha no…"

Meanwhile, out on the sea, Eri groaned, rubbing her head, something odd bathing over her nostrils. She cringed as she rose up, shaking Hadiya awake, and the two rubbed the sleep from their eyes. "Do you smell that?" She asked as Hadiya looked about, getting out of the bed and then halting just before she reached the doorway out of their little room on the ship.

"…Eri…I've smelled this before." She murmured as she quivered a bit, and looked pale, disgusted and…disappointed?

Eri realized what the smell was too.

Blood. Broken bones and blood and gore, the same horrible, terrible smell they'd gotten from the Hagia Sophia. Slowly they opened up the door, and beheld what laid beyond, at what…remained…of various crewmembers. Their heads had been…pulped. There barely WERE heads anymore, and it looked like their bodies were somewhat dried up as if they were left out in the sun like fruit to be sucked free of all water and juiciness. Resisting the urge to vomit, they walked down the hall, trying not to cringe as their feet stepped in large pools of blood, getting closer and closer to the captain's cabin, hearing voices.

"You're not getting away with this." Captain Abel Roger's voice rang out from inside.

"Your type disgusts me. You've been "getting away with it" for years and now you've the gall to act like I'm wrong for wanting to get even…how pathetic."

"My men and I have nothing to do with what you endured, you just want a scapegoat."

"You're not innocent, you're CATHOLIC." It was definitely Uttu's voice, and she was filled with fury. "Your type destroy everything. You'd murder me and my children the minute you found out I was pregnant. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", after all."

"I wasn't going to call you that. I'm a gentleman. Even if you are clearly no lady." Abel said, his voice still ringing with clear defiance and pride, even though from the tone of his voice, Eri could tell he was badly injured. It sounded like Uttu had broken his jaw. "I only would have thrown you overboard if we couldn't get to land in time. I know your species's desire for lots and lots of meat. Wouldn't' you have eaten my crew? Eri? Hadiya? Mr. Solomon?"

"They're **good** people. I'd never hurt them. Unlike you. You're not good people, you're…animals. All your type are animals!" Uttu said darkly. "And I'm putting you down like one."

"Your friends will never forgive you for this cold-blooded cruelty." Abel said as Hadiya felt a fury rising in her. She clenched her fist, her eyes a-glittering, body faintly aglow with yellow light as Eri took hold of the door and stood to the side, ready to swing it open for her beloved.

"No, and I don't expect them to. But I can live with that. And what I'm about to do to you." Uttu admitted.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Hadiya roared out as Eri swung the door open and Hadiya swung her fist forward. Uttu's eyes bulged out, she barely had time to cry out as Hadiya's yellow projectiles shot forth and struck the Arachne over and over. THWAM-THWAM-THWAM-THWAM, she was sent spiraling out, barely clinging to the opened-up wall as the waters gnashed outside, the ocean slightly rocky as a very-badly-wounded Captain Abel Rogers laid in a slightly crumbled heap not far away. His jaw looked almost broken, his leg HAD been broken, very obviously, it was twisted at a bad angle, and yet he stared defiantly at Uttu as she used her many arms to cling to the walls. "I defended you! I stood up for you! And you're…you really are just as awful as I had insisted you weren't! You're a murderer!"

"Those people in the church deserved what they got, defiling that place, defiling me!" Uttu insisted angrily. "Don't stick up for those Catholic monsters!"

"The only monster here is you!" Hadiya yelled angrily. "You didn't deserve my friendship! I ought to kill you right now for all you've done!"

"Monsters like you give monsters like you a bad name!" Eri added angrily as she helped Captain Abel away, Hadiya clenching both her fists tight, ready for more. "You're going to pay for all these innocent people you've murdered!"

"They're not innocent, they're all Catholic scum! You've no idea how much dam-" Uttu began to say.

"Stop it, just **stop** it!" Hadiya snarled. Even more yellow projectiles shot forth, Uttu dodging them, scurrying up, up to the deck of the ship, Hadiya barreling out the door and racing to meet her as Uttu spat forth strands of webbing out of her mouth. Hadiya barely dodged in time, the strands almost grabbing her head as she thrust both fists out. More thick yellow balls of magical power manifested, embedding in the deck, missing Uttu as she scurried away, up to the crow's nest. "I could get, maybe even forgive you doing that sort of thing to those pigs who turned the Hagia Sophia into a toilet, but to murder this innocent crew when they hadn't done anything just because they're Catholic…you've gone insane!"

"You have no idea how much those people hate monsters like me and what they've done to us over the years!" Uttu yelled back. "You can't know, because you're just a human! You've NO idea the suffering we've endured! They chased me out of my home town! They wouldn't listen when I told them that Arachne husbands are supposed to offer themselves to their wives, they just called it murder and tried to kill me! I can't forgive them for that!" She roared over the spiraling, cascading smashing of the waves about them as she leapt through the air, trying to crash down on Hadiya!

Hadiya rolled away just in time, tossing another projectile at Uttu, knocking her across the deck and into the mast. KRAKA-THROOOMBH! It shattered into pieces, the boat was practically coming apart as Uttu launched another strand of webbing at Hadiya that managed to ensnare her arm. "That doesn't make what you did here right!" She yelled, trying to tug herself free as the moon began to rise above the clouds above, casting soft rays down onto the ship.

"It IS right if it's done against people like-" Uttu began to say as she twirled Hadiya around and around, about to let go and launch her over the deck, but then…

THWAM! Solomon had shown up. He slammed himself fully into Uttu and knocked her down, making her release Hadiya as she skidded over the deck. Eri, having set Abel down somewhere safer, had just raced out onto the deck and she now dove across it, focusing as hard as she could. THWOOOP! Blue magic wrapped itself around Uttu, Eri panting a bit. She wasn't too good at blue magic, but she thank goodness she was good enough to do this. She hovered Hadiya back to the deck and began ripping the silken webbing off as Solomon and Uttu struggled about.

"GET OFF ME!" The Arachne roared out as Solomon kept his arms tightly around her neck, cringing, closing his eyes. "Get off you pathetic, disgusting-"

Then she sniffed. Hard. She sniffed his body and her eyes bulged wide just before she kneed him in the crotch, making him reel back as she gazed at him in shock. "You! You're…you're one of-"

This time Hadiya's shot didn't miss at all. She flung her arms out, her yellow projectiles struck Uttu right smack dab in the head, and she went sailing off, off the deck, stunned, mouth slightly agape…flopping into the ocean as the moon hung high in the sky.

Eri held tightly onto Hadiya as they struggled over to Solomon, who was lying on his side, panting heavily, and…changed. His hair was still long and white, but now…now he had a distinctly spider-esque body. A thick, muscular humanoid chest, but a big black abdomen, black-scaled frame, reddish hands, clawed and powerful-looking, thin, multiple legs, mandibles instead of a proper mouth with sharp fangs, and so many red eyes…

"You're a…a monster. An Arachne?" Hadiya mumbled out.

"I'm a "were-spider"." Solomon confessed. "My type only manifest our "real" forms at night, when the moon shines. I didn't want to tell you because, well…Uttu being here and what she'd done, I felt you wouldn't trust me."

"You did save my life, though." Hadiya confessed. "…thank you for that." She added as Eri cringed as she looked out at the waves, and where Uttu had been only moments ago, where now…only dark water remained. "…I just…I wish it hadn't…I…" She trailed off, covering her face with one hand and taking in a long, deep, sad breath as Solomon rose up and dusted himself off.

"I know." He trailed off. "I'm sorry she couldn't overcome how she felt towards people like the captain. I didn't want to hurt her. I would have stopped her sooner but I wanted to believe she could be better. I was wrong."

"We need to help the captain reach shore." Eri finally spoke up as she bit her lip, trying to think. "And they're going to ask questions if they see all these dead bodies. We need to…we need to dumb them overboard and clean everything up and…and make it look like a storm took most of the crew." She murmured. "That way people won't ask questions." She reasoned quickly. "With Uttu gone, we can't blame her for what happened here."

"Fair enough." Solomon said. "Good idea. I'll…give you two some time alone though while I help patch the captain up."

An idea came to Eri as she raised an eyebrow. "Solomon, does…does he know what you are?" She inquired of the white-haired, spider-like monster.

"Yes." Solomon smiled a little, despite not truly having a mouth. "He knew I was a Arachne. Good ol' Abel's a damn decent man." He said as the smile faded. "Maybe if I had told Uttu what I was, and that the captain didn't mind, maybe…she wouldn't have done what she did." He wondered aloud, heading off as Eri and Hadiya just sat together on the deck, looking out at the waves.

"…do you want to talk about what-" Eri asked.

"No."

"…do you want me to just hold your hand until you feel a bit better?" Eri suggested instead.

"…yeah. I'd like that." Hadiya said, squeezing Erimentha's hand, resting her head on her shoulders as the ship rocked about in the waves. The wind ruffled through their hair, blowing it about as they silently gazed out at wave over wave, just letting everything that had happened wash over them just like the waves washed over the ship.


	10. Nature Shrieked Against His Creed

Cu Chulainn was meditating once again, his eyes closed, breathing in and out as all sound faded around him. The others who were not on watch were all fast asleep, but he had something important to do before he headed into slumber. He concentrated hard, manifesting his magic skill, the unique ability he so deeply prized as all became a black abyss of silence and coldness. The familiar foul, rotten stench of the dead was now beginning to sting at his nostrils as he clutched his knees tightly, the red-haired warrior opening his eyes again to look out over the expanse.

It was new today. The fields of dark and scarred earth, the foul, greyish sky filled with black clouds, they were there. The cold mountains off in the distance with scarred peaks, they hadn't changed but now, now there stood a mountain of skulls, and upon a throne of bones and flesh and sinew, he laid. His bladed, thick tail slightly curled around the desk, his eyes green and glistening, feet with those foul talons and hands clawed and ready to tear at a moment's notice. The horned demon's head looked slowly up as he finished examining the skull in his hand, tossing it to Cu Chulainn to catch.

Cu Chulainn looked down at it, his face scowling. He had never, ever seen a skull so small before and he had a feeling he knew exactly what sort of human it belonged to. "Do you think this is some kind of joke? Was it…fucking funny to you to give me the advice you did? You didn't think it a little bit important to mention my WIFE WAS GOING TO TAKE MY CHILD AWAY FROM ME AND RUN AWAY?"

"Oh, my dear past self…" Cu Chulainn's future self chuckled darkly, speaking in that calm and collected tone, the undercurrent of faint rage softly spiking up through every syllable. "You of all people should know that you've never once asked me about your personal life. You only ever asked about how to fight against your enemies. If you don't ask, I don't tell."

"Not even about something as important as this? This is our family we're talking about! My  **son!** " Cu Chulainn insisted. "Connla is gone! How can you be so calm?"

"Oh, you'll see him again. Though you'll barely recognize him, he'll have changed so much." His future self added as Cu Chulainn looked down at the child's skull in his hand, the demon upon the throne softly clucking his tongue. "My, my, is that pity I see in your eyes? Disgust over the dead? How many fathers or mothers have you killed? You almost killed that young skeleton monster, the one named Courier, he's not even fully a man yet."

"That's…I was tempted, but…" Cu Chulainn hesitated. "…I don't think I would have truly gone through with it, I would have  **hurt**  him, but…but I'd never go that far."

"You know that isn't really true. Because  _I_  know it isn't really true. But all this is good for you. You've learned what it means to have furious, hot anger. You've learned cold fury. Now you will carry the flame of a slowly-burning rage that will simmer for years inside, fed by sorrow, hatred and loss. A slow-burning flame that will finally produce a deliciously cooked dish." His future self said as he leisurely rose off the throne, descending down, crushing skulls beneath his taloned feed as he approached Cu Chulainn and patted his shoulder. "When the time comes, you will unleash that cruelty, and all will know your true might. You will become me."

"You're disgusting." Cu Chulainn grunted back, shoving the hand off of him, putting the skull down. "I'd sooner kill myself than become you. You don't care about anyone."

"Oh, I do care." His future self intoned. "In my own, special way. I just want to live, Cu Chulainn. Every species wants to survive and thrive, it's just natural. And I need to survive through you, and your anger and hatred and sorrow. I will be birthed by you, it's meant to be. It's a messy thing, but trust me, it's for the best in the end. You'll help many more people when you embrace me, rather than reject me."

Cu Chulainn held his fist up. He wanted to punch his future self in the face, the rage was building up, higher and higher. "I'm going to throttle you." He swore.

"No, no, you won't. Tell you what. Let me give you a present. At the shores of this fine land, in Dublin town, a lovely pair of women are arriving, mages you will need. They're being brought there by a white-haired man with one red eye, and one blue eye. They're called Erimentha and Hadiya, and you will need their aid against the monsters. Go to them. Bring Elisud, they'll like him. And you had best hurry. While Prince Asgore has occupied much of your time here with battles you've won fairly easily, King Maecoal's been expanding greatly, taking city after city. In fact, Bray will fall within a day. Best hurry."

With that, his future self flicked Cu Chulainn back, and he found himself sailing, soaring over the expanse below him, cascading through the air before he awoke, jolting awake against a tree as the hooting of an owl wafted through the air. He glanced about, seeing his slumbering comrades, young Elisud included, and a mournful expression came over his face as he shook his head back and forth.

Tomorrow his men would heard for Dublin. It would be good to go to the city, they could use some cheering up.

Elsewhere, poor Seiichi was hiding in the bushes, peering through them slightly as he stayed hidden from the sight of the Mongols as the Slavuta River bank laid behind him. Though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the wind was picking up, cold and icy, Seiichi shivering as he saw the furry-dressed Mongols looking Sakamoto over. The poor dragon was trapped inside of a literal cage of cold iron and he was furiously glowering at them all with bitter hatred and rage in his eyes.

"We were right. Cold iron, and this weather makes it nice and cold indeed." The Mongols were saying to each other. Their obvious leader, who had a rather thick, bushy black beard and a slightly curved moustache with a curved sword on his hip took out his sword, using it to nonchalantly peel a large apple that he had as Sakamoto snarled at him…the apple suspended in the air as the Mongol leader's hand glowed slightly with blue magic.

"Have to say, learning magic has been so handy. Our little band used to be overlooked until I finally mastered my magical skill." The Mongol leader chuckled. "Now the great 53rd son of Genghis Khan, Modu Khan, will finally claim his proper inheritance. Especially now that I've got me a dragon. Oooh, the things I can do with a dragon."

"I will put you upon spits and roast you!" Sakamoto snapped.

"Oh, I don't think you will. We'll be sticking cold iron collars and chains on you to ensure you do my bidding and that your magic's dampened further, and we'll make sure we've got the only keys so that if you ever dared turn on us, your only way to escape your bonds will be to do our bidding. And I'm learning this  **fascinating**  technique of magical tattooing."

The Mongol yanked the fluffy hat he was wearing off his head, showing off his bald top, and the many tattoos that had been laid down on his skull. "Tattoos in China are normally reserved for marking bandits or prisoners. I've taken the practice and made it a symbol of pride. With my magical skill imbuing the work I do, I've given all my men tattoo's to increase their raw strength. With my magic, their newfound raw might and you? We're going to be unstoppable now. Nobody will be able to contain us!" The Mongol leader laughed, showing off the keys to Sakamoto's cell, danging them on a finger before stepping away, Sakamoto trying to slam into the cage to knock it over and get the keys. All he did was bang loudly into the cage, cursing vividly.

"You will all die horribly for this, I promise you!" He swore.

Seiichi clutched his face. Oh no, no, no! How was he going to stop them? The town didn't have nearly enough animals or people he could muster to stop men like this. He had to get the keys. But how? Wait until nightfall? Not a bad idea, but did he have that long before they began to attack Kiev?

A faint crowing filled the air and he looked off to the side at trees in the distance. Wait. Crows.  **Crows!**  That was it. He still had help yet. He needed to enlist the help of some fair-feathered friends. Waiting for all the Mongols to no longer be looking in his direction, Seiichi slid out from behind the bush, barreling towards the trees, sliding behind one, looking up at the flock of crows that were up in the tree's branches. "How now, crows. How are you this fine day?" Seiichi asked as the crows all stared at him, surprised.

"A human can talk to us?"

"Must be a mage!"

"Oooh, a mage, a mage! How special!"

"What do you want?"

"What do  **you**  want? You seem to be eyeing the Mongol camp."

"Oooh, we've been following it for a long time, picking up their scraps!" The crow nearest to him said with a distinctly big smile. "Lovely scraps indeed! Lots of tasty meat and bread and other goodies. Though they sometimes suck on the blood of their horses. It's rather gross."

The other crows all nodded in disgust. "Yes, yes, they cut into the neck!"

"Open up the horse, drink it's blood! Pour it into cups!"

"Disgusting. At least kill horse first before you do that!"

"I'd be happy to get you plenty of food, you've my word as a mage and a Buddhist monk." Seiichi said as he gave a deep, long bow. "I need assistance, though. My friend, a dragon, is tied up in a cage of cold iron, and the leader of the Mongols has the key. Would you do me the kindness of helping me get hold of it? Then, when he's freed and we've beaten the Mongols away and chased them off, you're welcome to all the food they had."

The crows looked at each other, whispering and muttering among themselves as Seiichi bit his lip slightly in nervousness, turning to peer behind the tree. Oh boy, the Mongols were getting their engines of war ready, moving the catapults closer towards Kiev, intending to begin leveling it to soften the inhabitants.

"You swear to uphold your end of the bargain? You must give us a token of good faith." The crow nearest to him said. "…you must let one of us ride on your shoulder. We will swarm in, we will take that key, and free your friend. But you must let one of us ride upon your shoulder. If you even attempt to shoo him off, or to break your word, he will peck your eyes from their sockets. Fulfill your promise and let us eat our fill when your dragon friend is freed, and no harm will come to you."

The other crows all nodded as Seiichi bowed, hands clasped together. "I give you my word, and I accept your terms." He said. "That seems a reasonable trade."

A crow fluttered on down onto his shoulder as the other crows now began to flap their wings. "Fly, my brethren, fly, fly! There's much work to do, and the sooner we do it, the sooner we fill our bellies to bursting!"

The crows soared off, into the sky, then barreled on down, towards the Mongol camp as the leader glanced up in time to see one swarming around him. "Hey! HEY! Get lost, you stupid little diseased vermin!" He cried out, thrashing his arms about, hands flying around, slightly panicking. Having a very loud, pecking angry bird in your face tended to make even well-composed men lose their cool.

"Get off get off get off!"

"ARGH! MY EYES! MY EYES!"

"Stop it! Cut it out!"

"Where the hell did all of them come from?!"

The leader of the Mongols, distracted by the crow flapping and pecking at his face, didn't notice the other crow that swooshed down, snatching up the key from his pocket, racing to the iron cage. Seiichi's eyes widened as Sakamoto grinned in a devilish fashion, the crow helping him out, shoving the key into the lock and turning it as best it could. The cage jittered and shook as Sakamoto banged against it, helping to turn the key further, loud CLANG-CLANG-CLANGs filling the air before…

It happened. The cage burst open and now Sakamoto dove for the leader of the Mongols, the crows immediately barreling out of the way just in time. The dragon's form shuddered and quaked, transforming from his more faintly "humanoid" form into a more full on draconic visage as he snarled in the Mongol leader's face. "I want you to see this. I want you to watch as this happens to you, so you will understand and fully comprehend the terror that you have unleashed. Nobody attacks me with impunity." Sakamoto snarled.

Seiichi wanted to look away. He so badly wanted to, but…he couldn't. He was transfixed as Sakamoto began to devour the Mongol leader whole and alive, taking hold of the Mongol leader's feet...and shoving them right into his jaws, licking and slobbering over them. The hungry dragon began to quickly and hungrily swallow the Mongol leader down in big, thick gulps!

Naturally, the Mongol leader gaped in shock, and tried to squirm free, but it was in vain. He was being folded-up within Sakamoto's body, letting out a scream of terror and pain as more of his tall and muscular frame was forced into the monstrous Sakamoto's maw. The dragon's tongue kept lathering and slurping over him even as Sakamoto continued to hungrily dine, and force more and more of the unfortunate Mongol leader's body into his hungry jaws.

Sakamoto moaned happily, Seiichi trying to surpress vomiting as he cringed, covering his mouth as more and more of the Mongol was devoured alive. Finally, at long last, Sakamoto was forcing the Mongol leader's head into his maw with a final GLLLRRGUUUGLLLGH of a gulp, and he rose up, increasing in size and might and power, now in his more full, horrifying, terrible resplendence as the crows realized it was smart to get as far away from the Mongols as possible as Sakamoto turned his wrath upon THEM.

The crow on Seiichi's shoulder watched as Seiichi turned green in the face, racing to the side, vomiting behind several large packs of straw and the like for the Mongol's horses, who were tied up not far away and transfixed with horror at the sight before their eyes, looking mortified. Seiichi emptied the contents of his stomach out onto the ground, scarcely able to endure what he'd seen before finally, at long last, he wiped his mouth, shuddering, tears in his eyes as the crow on his shoulder hopped off.

"I think it's clear you've kept your word." He said, as the other crows began to rifle through the food left behind by the Mongols, as Sakamoto touched down nearby, returning to a more "normal" size. "Thank you, young monk. We will spread word of the kindness you've shown to our kin."

"I think it might be best for you to speak to these horses and let them know that they are freed." Sakamoto told Seiichi as he shuddered and shivered. "And I've no doubt that you're very angry with me over what I have just done. I imagine seeing such a violation of so basic a tenet of Buddhism is foul to you. But tell me…when you got to the green lands in the west with me, what did you intend to do to aid in the cause?"

"I would only ever help the wounded and the sick." Seiichi insisted, wiping his eyes. "I know how to do first aid. I'm fairly good at that, even if I'm…not a very good Buddhist."

"Regardless of the scores you've told me you've gotten, I think you ARE a very good Buddhist." Sakamoto intoned. "You tried to take the peaceful, non-violent option over and over. That's an admirable, suitable quality for a Buddhist. You have very admirable ideals, but the world is vast, and it what it feels is beautiful is not limited to your ideals."

The young Buddhist was silent as he headed into a mongol tent, some crows munching away on large amounts of bread as he, in turn, approached a pile of rice left over in a pan. He began to quietly take spoonfuls out as he sat down, eating amongst the crows, silently looking at the pan until not an ounce of the rice was left. Then, at last, he looked up at Sakamoto, who stood in the doorway of the tent. "Did gaining your vengeance make you feel better?" Seiichi finally asked.

"My belly is full, and my vengeance and hunger are sated." The dragon told him. "I do feel rather better. There's something satisfying about getting even."

"I can't understand that."

"You don't have to, nor even accept it. I wouldn't want you to." The dragon shook his head. "We're very, very different, Seiichi, and we don't have to force one another to change how we are. We can be very different and still be allies and friends."

"I don't know if I feel like being your friend after what I just saw. I feel sick to my stomach even now." Seiichi murmured. "I don't think I want to talk to you for a long time. Please just…just leave me alone."

The dragon quietly nodded and Seiichi was left alone in the tent with his thoughts. He held his head in his hands, and he tried to recite the basic precepts of Buddhism to himself to steady himself. That always worked well.

This time, though, it didn't. And he would not sleep well for a long, long time.

…

…

…

…the people in Dublin town were murmuring amongst themselves. King Maecoal was coming to the city of Dublin! He had men outside the city lines, all in a row, armed to the teeth. Erimentha and Hadiya were besides themselves with nervousness and fear like much of the rest of the people of Dublin as the guard of the city looked down from large walls. The land had indeed been heavily fortified ever since the 1100's, to keep out increasingly dangerous attackers known as "The Pale", Irish monsters who were Puca themselves, like Prince Asgore and King Maecoal. Though their homeland was small they were fierce and deadly and they'd assaulted Dublin time and time again, forcing the city to bolster itself.

Now after just touching down in Dublin only 25 minutes ago, Eri and Hadiya had heard the cries and shouting that the monster army was at the gates. People were being told to batten down their hatches, to lock their doors, knights were racing about, archers getting into position as Solomon and Captain Abel glanced at each other, then at Eri and Hadiya.

"You two have magical skill, you may be able to keep the king back." Abel reasoned. "I would ask my own crew to help but…well…" He sadly smiled. "Seems I'm down to a crew of one now."

"Two." Solomon offered, now back in his humanoid form, gently putting one of his large hands on Abel's shoulder. "I'll stay by your side, sir. You've done right by me many times over. Only fair I do the same."

The two ladies nodded. "We'll be back, we promise. Keep an eye out in case the monsters are trying a sneak attack from the sea." Eri suggested.

"And we'll go to the front gate." Hadiya added. "We'll do whatever we can."

Now they stood on the ramparts, several knights and archers glancing at them, but not truly questioning it. After all, women were very helpful when it came to the defense of castles and cities, it was common for the ladyfolk of Ireland to act as stewards of the keeps of Medieval England, as stalwart defenders whilst the mostly male knights were out on missions or just outside the gates as extra lines of defense. Women were the last line of defense. That was just the way it worked, and most were fine with that. After all…it worked. Why mess with success?

"I bid you tidings from King Maecoal himself." Said a voice as the two women looked down. It was a burning, flaming fire elemental who appeared to be wearing not normal armor, but just a pair of pants and a fireproof shirt of some kind. Although he spoke with conviction, there was something unsettled and nervous in his eyes that Hadiya could notice. "We Monsters have two very powerful forces on our side!"

"And what might those be?" yelled the Captain of the Guard as he adjusted the helm he was wearing, holding up a sword and shaking it.

"PERSUASION AND COMPULSION!"

"Well, that's interesting. We humans have two useless forces who won't leave us alone. Poverty and inability. Get lost." The captain of the guard remarked back snarkily as Eri sniggered a little. "Dublin's not what you would call a wealthy town anyway."

"Oh, we're not here for your gold, exactly. We want your entire town. I, Sir Grillersby, have been told to impart on your little abode the terms of surrender. You will all immediately depart and leave everything behind and we will take your town for ourselves in exchange for your lives."

"Tell your King he can make the offer in-person."

"If you call for King Maecoal, he will answer!" a voice rang out, booming like thunder, deep and firm as the well-armored puca himself made his way out from behind the throngs of tightly-dressed, metal-clad throngs and to the front. He was wearing distinctly powerful-looking golden armor with a very deep, dark purple cape, a golden crown with one prong at the front, two at the side and one at the back and a gleaming red gem in the middle. His had thick-gauntleted hands and heavy booted feet, spiked shoulder pads of the same gleaming gold as his armor, and with piercingly strong eyes. Oddly enough though, despite his son having a small beard, King Maecoal didn't have a beard at all. Instead, he had thick eyebrows, and large sideburns, big ol' "muttonchops" of hairy golden locks that went well with his armor as he held up a big, enormously large red trident of ruby into the sky. "I take it you don't very much like my offer."

"Your "offer" is kicking us out of our own city."

"And this is  **our**  land, so I'd say my people's rights are rather more important, wouldn't you, human?" King Maecoal intoned. "I've been wanting to get hold of Dublin for many…many years." He remarked with a wistful sigh.

"If the situation was reversed and HUMANS were demanding YOU leave a city and everything in it behind or they'd kill you all, would you give up, or would you fight to a man?" The captain of the guard inquired rather coldly.

"Yes, because as we all know, humans never, ever, eeeeeeeever asked that of monsters." The king remarked. "We've already captured the city of Drogheda, we've ensnared Navan and Trim, and soon Naas and Newbridge will be ours as well! We are taking back land that so rightfully belongs to us one city at a time. Try as people like Cu Chulainn might, he's but a man. And I don't fear him, nor any of you. If you won't willingly give us your city, we shall cut you off and starve you out. We'll see how long you last when you're stuck eating the barrels from your ships and the bricks in your roads." King Maecoal insisted. "We're already working on cutting you off from the sea."

Eri went pale as Hadiya looked back, over the expanse of Dublin, just in time to see Solomon racing up to them, climbing up as quickly as he could up a ladder to where they were on the ramparts.

"There's mer-people totally rampant all over the bay! The captain and I barely got off the ship in time before they sank it, they must have been planning this for weeks!" He cried out.

"You'll be giving up soon enough!" King Maecoal insisted firmly. "Now then, my men…come. Back to our encampment, we've got to find out word of how the city of Bray fared against our tactics. They were most disobedient and refused to let me enter even when it was clear they could no longer reap the bounty of the sea or land."

With that, he whipped about, making off for a far-off encampment barely visible on a hill some distance away as throngs of monsters waited, camped out, the archers and knights looking at their captain of the guard for advice.

"…don't waste your arrows on them. We will need a new plan of attack." He muttered. "Reinforce the gates and the walls. That's what we'll do. Prepare for a long siege."

Meanwhile, King Maecoal had finally returned to the encampment and was pouring a glass of wine for Sir Grillersby, looking at him with concern. He gently raised a hand to rest it on Grillby's shoulder. "My dear friend, you look troubled. I thought you'd be happy with your new appointment now that you're more diplomat than soldier. You no longer need to sully your hands with blood."

"I'm still having nightmares." Grillby mumbled as he sat down on a nearby bed in King Maecoal's tent, the king quietly nodding.

"That's a reasonable thing to have. There is no shame in accepting the horror of war, no shame in being touched by it. You've done more than what I've asked of me all the time, and I'm fine with giving you this boon. Now, drink, relax. Take your time. You can even rest in my tent for the night. I intend to be on the guard with the first-oh!" He saw an encroaching group of monsters led by a rather tough-looking minotaur monster in steely armor who was bringing along his men. King Maecoal beamed in delight, walking up to approach him.

"Ah, Jocasta!" He proclaimed, the female minotaur bowing her head, a golden earring in one horn. "How did it go? I see based on the many, many monsters here…" He looked over her shoulder with a big grin as the black-eyed minotaur nodded. "That the mission to Bray must have been a rousing success. Our siege tactics worked like a charm against the humans?"

"Yes, we've captured everyone left inside that wasn't killed through starving them out." Jocasta said as King Maecoal frowned a bit, watching as the many monsters parted to show off even more in the far back, bringing along a great deal of human prisoners, including the obvious mayor, who was the best-dressed and looking miserable, with graying hair and beard.

"…wait, what? Jocasta, I told you the people were to be destroyed!" King Maecoal said.

"But I made all the usual sacrificial offerings like you ask us to, I didn't think it'd be a big deal." Jocasta said with a shrug. "Besides, we can use them as-"

Unfortunately she didn't get a chance to finish as King Maecoal grabbed her by the chest, shaking her as the others watched on, eyes wide, mouths agape at the fervent fury and rancor in his words. "Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obeying the word of Yahweh?! BEHOLD! TO  _OBEY_  IS BETTER THAN  _SACRIFICE_!" The puca roared out in the female minotaur's face, his red eyes glistening, finally letting go of her as he ripped the sword out of her scabbard and quickly strode over to the prisoners. "Next time, you'll do what I say and kill everything that moves!"

Then, making very,  **very**  sure he was illustrating his point, King Maecoal shoved the captive mayor of Bray down onto the ground. Sword held high, King Maecoal began to hew him in pieces, loud, wet SCHLORGK-PLORTH-THRAC noises filling the air as the man was messily carved and cut into chunks before everyone's eyes. "Like this and this and this and this!"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Grillby murmured, peering out from the tent of his king as he covered his face again, shaking his head back and forth, knowing he would have even worse dreams that night.

No, no, King Maecoal did not like humans much at all. But he did have good reason to be, and it all went back to his father, King Vilgor. Having begun his reign in 500 BC, he had at one point owned quite a large chunk of Ireland, including "The Pale" itself. It had been firmly monster territory, along with an enormous chunk of Scotland itself. Maecoal's father had impressed upon his son the duty of a king to provide for his people at all costs as they'd made a trip to the marketplace.

Though Maecoal had bought a red gem that had caught his eye, a gem he'd one day put into his kingly crown, his father had sighed, shaking his head as he beheld the people in the marketplace, cringing. "Who are these people, who have special places where they go to cheat each other? I promise you, we'll tightly control the retail trade." He said as he looked out over, of all things, the city of Dublin. "I can do it, you know. I've got this entire kingdom divided up into provinces, I'll have my governors begin to enforce it as we further expand into the rest of Ireland."

"Isn't that land sort of…well, it belongs to the humans, doesn't it?" Maecoal had told his thick-bearded father, scratching his own head.

"It may be being used by the humans, but we monsters were here first." King Vilgor had insisted to young Maecoal, clapping his hand over his shoulder as they headed out of the front gates of Dublin, unaware that a small group of rather big-eyes mer-people going in…weren't actually mer-people at all. "And we'll have the humans realizing that soon. After all, look at Dublin."

He smugly glanced over at the irritated-looking human workers who were tending to golden flower fields outside of the city, wearing nothing but pants, glowering at him as several powerful-looking knights stood guard nearby. "They know full well they don't stand a chance against us. We totally outnumber them."

Well, the humans  **had**  realized all this. The expanse of the monsters was getting more and more worrisome, and the humans were getting pissed off. It was time to act, and the monsters had finally tossed the last straw onto the camel's back, the straw that broke it. They'd forced humans in coastal towns to sail off to the literal Isle of Man. Not a single monster lived there, but the monster overseers wanted to take over it as a very symbolic act of power. A true "flex" as it were.

It ended horribly. The humans had been almost utterly slaughtered and forced to retreat and the monsters that remained still were mostly untouched. The muttering and grumbling was going to turn into a mutiny and it was finally kickstarted when the head of the human slaves who tended the gardens of Dublin, a man with Scottish blood named Liam MacLeod, got an idea.

"Get them monsters before they get us!" And do that…by inviting in, one after the other, humans dressed as monsters in secret. It was pretty easy for humans to impersonate mer-people. It just required…creativity. And lots of paint over your bodies and faint "scales" as well and a fishy smell. So the plan had been crafted, slowly over the course of the past week, hundreds of humans, disguised as mermen and women, were coming to Dublin. The monster guards waved them through, not really looking at much beyond the "scaly" arms and legs and the occasional non-helmet-or-helm-wearing face which looked perfectly fine to them.

They had no idea the humans had done this. They'd also been helped by several mages who unfortunately couldn't disguise themselves with paint and fake scales. They had bad allergic reactions, and had used complex illusionwork that required taking lots of a special drink, regularly, to maintain the glamour.

Now as King Vilgor was finally out of the city with his son…the time came to strike. Time for the human inhabitants of Dublin to make their move, and King Vilgor and his son weren't even halfway inside his summer home ten miles down the road when a messenger, racing as fast as he could, out of breath, panting, collapsed in front of him and his servants and son with the bad news.

"There's over a thousand humans that have popped up in Dublin! They call themselves the "True Dubliners"! They've set the place on fire! The seat of your mayor is in flames! They've torched our boats, they've stolen all of our goods, they drove those of us that couldn't swim into the sea and those that could into the flames!"

"…humans…did all that?" King Vilgor asked quietly, his eyes becoming furious and baleful as he tore at his hair. "EEERRRRGGGGHHH! A BOW! An ARROW! Give me! NOW!" He yelled out, one of his servants racing off, bringing back a bow and arrow as he took aim, and shot it into the sky with a prayer. "God, grant that I may punish the Dubliners!" He proclaimed.

And that night, as his son sat with him for dinner, King Vilgor stewed over his beef stew and duck dish, grumbling in between bites as he had a servant repeat to him three times before, during and after dinner, every night for the rest of his life…

"Sire, remember the Dubliners!"


	11. Bonds Forged in Fire

Whilst Eri and Hadiya shored up in Dublin town, and Cu Chulainn brought his forces closer and closer to the Irish coast to swoop in and try and save the city's people, Seiichi was silent and somber as he sat atop of Sakamoto. The wind softly ruffled through his hair as the Eastern Dragon continued to soar towards the green lands of Ireland, Seiichi trying to lose himself in meditation. Neither he nor Sakamoto had spoken for three whole days, and they'd be touching down at the home of a mighty prince soon, one who was sympathetic to monster causes, whose's compassion and determination had sent whispers to dragon kind's ears.

Having a soul of Determination was very rare indeed, and dragonkind very much wanted to have Prince Tobias speaking with them, and working for them in any capacity they could get him to. By hook or by crook, Sakamoto would get the prince to benefit his race. He intended to begin with the classic dragon standby…gold, treasure, shiny things. LOTS of them.

"We'll be at Tobias's estate soon." Sakamoto announced as the long expanse of Britain's fields passed down underneath. The skies were a dark greyish quilt of clouds that were occasionally broken up into little pieces of blue sky, it would no doubt rain soon. Seiichi glanced a bit up, a tiny jerk of his head as if trying to get a fly to stop landing on his skull. "I think you'll really like his city, we've heard it has a beautiful church with a monster who's voice is like an angel singing in the choir."

"I know your kind believes in religious freedom…" Seiichi found himself asking, the words escaping from his lips. "Do you have your own spiritual beliefs?"

"We believe in ourselves, of course. And of the power of the Soul, and of…something that comes after. What that is depends on the dragon. Some hold true to the idea of reincarnation, others believe in an afterlife. We feel people should be free to believe whatever they desire, just like they deserve a chance to do any job they feel. We allow women and children to do whatever work they feel like, there is no law that says a female dragon cannot fight in war, or become a smith, or even rule over any of us. Even children are allowed to if they so desire."

"Wow, women as full on smiths or warriors or leaders…the Buddha allowed women to be monks, they became their own "Bhikkhus", and a woman can reach enlightenment just like any man can, but the female monks have to adhere to more disciplinary rules."

"It would appear as if your Buddha feels women are more prone to temptation than men." Sakamoto mused aloud as Seiichi now slightly blushed. He felt a faint redness coming to his cheeks, and something went off inside him, a knee-jerk reaction, quick, nasty and unpleasant shot out of his mouth.

"Hey now, that's not fair! He's the  **Buddha** , he achieved Nirvana itself, he knows what he's talking about and if he laid down those rules I'm sure he's got plenty of good reasons!" Seiichi insisted quickly, almost spitting the words out. "Th-that's just being unfair! Besides, so many other religions don't even let women BE monks at all!"

"What about nuns?" Sakamoto inquired with a rather nasty little chuckle.

"That's not the same, the nuns pretty much have to do what the male priests asks, but Buddhist monks don't have to take orders from the male ones, there's no power relationship! They share equal rights!" Seiichi defensively intoned. "I'd like to see Christianity do…do…" Seiichi trailed off, the realization smacking him in the face as he comprehended the words that had come out of his mouth. "Oh no. This is embarrassing." He mumbled as he hung his head. "I sound so…so…whiny. So smug. So…proud. I shattered the teachings of the Buddha on the spot just because I wanted to defend what I believed. I'm an awful Buddhist."

"You're not an awful Buddhist, you're simply a flawed person. And that makes you in good company." Sakamoto said as, at long last, an enormous city began to stretch out before them. They could see the immense cathedral of Lincoln, England, and the still-under-construction castle ramparts off in the distance. People had quickly realized a dragon was above the town and were murmuring and whispering to each other, others fearfully ducking into alleyways, hiding in buildings, terrified eyes bulging up at the halo-headed form above. Sakamoto could see a large banner procession in front of the church, and there, at the front, a holy man with a well-dressed monster that had a divine-looking robe at the front, a "puca", much like King Maecoal, lord of Monsters was. Sakamoto carefully touched down in front of the procession as Seiichi slid off, the dragon taking his more humanoid form to shake the priest's hand, along with the puca.

"We saw you were coming on the horizon and we prepared a quick procession to welcome you, good sir." Father White intoned. "This is Toriel, she's the most wonderful singer we have in the choir, and an ambassador of monsters, she acts as a liason between them and Prince Tobias."

"I'd be happy to bring you to him, sir." Toriel said with a deep bow. "We respect the power of the dragons."

The word "respect" was a rather strong one, despite those in town being aware that dragons were immensely powerful and skilled and beloved in the east, there was very much a distinct undercurrent of fear. Everyone had heard the tales about dragons swallowing up cattle and the like, snatching up farmer's prides and joys from their fields…and sometimes not just cattle either. They'd all heard tales of how dragons treated maidens. ESPECIALLY virgins.

But they all bit their tongue and tried to keep a nice smile up as Toriel's reddis/brown eyes took notice of the ponytailed, slightly tubby Buddhist boy to Sakamoto's right, standing a little behind him. "But if I might ask, who's this little one you brought with you?"

"Seiichi, please, no need to stand behind me." Sakamoto insisted, as the teen gulped somewhat, then stepped forward. "This is Seiichi, he's a mage. He has a unique ability to speak to any animal whatsoever."

" **Any**  animal, really?" Father Michael and the other humans all around sounded intrigued by this power, Toriel looking delighted as she glanced at the nearby songbirds a-tweet-tweet-twittering in the trees to the left and right of the church entrance.

"Could you tell us what they're singing?" She wanted to know of Seiichi as he nodded and cleared his throat.

"They're trying to impress a woman." Seiichi glanced up and pointed at a bird's nest that had been put up on an outcropping on the church. "They're trying to sing the loudest and proudest to impress her. Unfortunately it seems like they've begun sneaking in insults at each other on top of that, like "My plumage is far brighter than his" and "my wings will keep you warmer in the cold of night", and-OHHH." His eyes went wide at the next bit of birdsong as he covered his face slightly. "S-Sorry, I can't repeat the next bit in public company."

"They're talking about their dick size, aren't they?" Toriel asked.

Everyone who didn't immediately snort with laughter did a double take in Toriel's direction as Sakamoto spluttered and gasped in surprise, Seiichi's mouth hanging open as he stared at Toriel. "However did you guess?" He wanted to know.

"I'm just perceptive on these things. Besides, I love a good dirty joke." She added with a little grin at Seiichi. "It's one of the reasons why Tobias and I hit it off so well, he's as immature as I am." She laughed before shaking Seiichi's hand. "But please, come, come, before we bring you to Prince Tobias, why don't we show you around our lovely town? Maybe you can even come for our 5'o clock mass? Father White welcomes ALL denominations into service, nobody is turned from Jesus if they are but willing to listen!"

"Well…okay." Seiichi hesitated but then gave a nod as he looked at Sakamoto. "You won't mind, do you?"

"No, no, I don't think I'll mind, but I am rather hungry." The dragon confessed as everyone around glanced slightly at each other or nervously bit their lip or cringed. "Is there somewhere I could, perhaps, get a decent meat pie?"

"I know just the place." Toriel offered warmly.

Meanwhile, Gaster, Leopold and Gerald had been spending an inordinate amount of time. Gerald had simply smiled a bit when Gaster had said he wanted to observe Leopold's further magic training, and now they were currently far out in the woods outside of town, Leopold taking in long, deep breaths as he steadied himself for a level of blue magic the likes of which he'd never tried before.

"I'm going to be with you through the whole thing." Gerald insisted as he firmly grinned, then took Leopold's hand. "Now, I want you to focus on the trees. Feel the rush of the blue magic within, feel yourself within those trees, picture it clearly in your mind, and then…let it come naturally. Up they go!"

"Right! Absolutely!" Leopold said as he clenched his free hand into a fist and closed his eyes as his long white hair fluttered in the intense wind that was whipping up in the woods. Gaster sat on a nearby rock, taking down notes on a notepad whilst at the same time in the middle of eating a meal he'd brought with him. Leopold sniffed at the air a bit as Gaster glanced up from the little plate he'd brought.

"What type of food is that?"

"Seasoned potatoes with carrots rapees, grated carrot, and made in a nice wine sauce." Gaster said as Leopold slightly drooled.

"Focus!" Gerald snapped his fingers as Leopold gulped a bit and blushed. "You can eat after we do this training! Gaster, if you'd be so kind as to…move maybe downwind?" He asked as Gaster nodded and went to go sit on a nearby rock instead as Leopold glanced a bit back at him again, then closed his eyes to try and focus on the trees. He clenched his teeth, his body faintly glowing with blue light before the trees began to quake and shudder and move about, and then…KRA-THA-BROOOOOOMMM!

With a thunderous, shuddering noise the trees around them began to be lifted into the air in an aura of beautiful blue light. Slowly but surely, they rose higher, higher, soon they were a good three, four feet off the ground and Leopold was sweating anxiously, the droplets of salty water flopping off his head and a-plopping down onto the ground below as he tried to keep the focus.

"Doing well so far!" Gaster complimented. "I've not ever seen you move anything so enormous, especially so much OF it!"

"Th-thank…you…" Leopold cringed, panting deeply, holding his fist tighter and together as Gerald looked into his pupil's face.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, we're going to ease them back into the earth the way they came." He said quickly as Leopold wiped his brow on his long-sleeve shirt he was wearing, panting heavily as he focused. He mentally pictured putting the trees slowly back into the spots they'd been uprooted from, the trees slowly beginning to fall back in place-

Until he accidentally lost his grip. A few of them flopped down too hard and tilted, collapsing onto their sides with loud, booming THUDS, one almost smushing Gaster as he let out a squeal, and his plate went flying, along with all the food he had left on it, and his notepad. "ACK!" He stretched out a hand, activating his own blue magic! THWOOP! He barely caught them in midair…

Well, almost all of them. The notepad went soaring and Leopold quickly reached out a hand as it almost landed in a spot of mud. THWIP! It slid right into his outstretched hand as he caught it, sighing in relief before he brought it over to Gaster, but as he reached out to give it, his eyes briefly caught a glimpse of what the skeleton monster had been writing.

"I keep noticing things about Leopold I didn't before. Whenever he's truly nervous, and isn't sure he can do something, he'll slightly curl one of those long, thick, pure, shining white locks of hair he has around his finger. But he'll then try to do it anyway because he wants to make sure he's living up to the standards of being a mage, and of being Gerald's pupil. I truly admire his dedication."

"Uh, here. Good thing it didn't go in the mud." Leopold said as he handed off the journal to Gaster, who took it back, glancing slightly nervously from it to Gerald's face. "I think I'm gonna wanna take a little break to eat something, Gerald."

"Fine by me, just fine." Gerald said with a firm nod. "I'll go get us some firewood and we can cook you something nice." He remarked. "Why don't I use one of the trees you just knocked over?" He added with a chuckle.

"Uh, no, how about uh…we'll make up a fire and you go get some herbs and stuff for a soup?" Gaster said quickly as Gerald chuckled and waddled his way on off, heading down a natural forest pathway as Gaster and Leopold took a bunch of fallen down branches and the like, picking them up and setting them together in a pile, surrounding it with stones. They reached down to pick them up, one after the other, but then-

Then their hands touched. Gaster and Leopold slowly looked up into each other's eyes as they felt over the texture of each other's hands, then slowly sat down as Leopold began to rub sticks together, starting up a fire.

"Um…uh, G-Gaster, are you…I mean…" He nervously chewed on his lip. "When you look at me, what do you see?" He inquired as Gaster laid his hands in his lap. The skeleton monster's face looked from the fire to Leopold, his black eye sockets slowly blinking, it was astounding how expression such a seemingly non-expressive skull could be. He took in a long and deep breath before he spoke, his voice quiet and hesitant.

"I've never really been interested in anyone whatsoever in any kind of…romantic way. Never. I've felt plenty of women looked pretty enough, but not really ever felt much more than that. But then there was that girl, who had such soft hands, and…and those entrancing eyes, who ran into me by the library. And when it comes to looking at you, I…I mean, when I think about how you make me feel, I realize I…I like seeing you smile. Every time I see you smiling, every time your hair flutters in the wind, every time I look at those beautifully deep eyes of yours, I feel warm inside, and it's like a wind begins to blow against my face to cool me off. I sometimes get…tingly too. Like a sort of…tingling buzz runs up and down my body, spreading out from my back." The skeleton monster admitted. "What about you?"

"I…" Leopold took a lock of hair, slightly curling it around his finger. "I don't know if what I'm going to say will help or hurt, but…I've not ever felt like this around anyone. I keep sort of…thinking about you. Even when I'm training. Sometimes I'll be in my room alone or sitting somewhere and I'll think you're right next to me, but you aren't, but…but I wish you were." He confessed. "Gaster, are…are you and I…?" He asked. "I mean…do you care about me in the way I think you do?"

"Do you care about me in the same way?"

"I…I think so. Yes. Yes, I do."

"I do too."

"So…we love each other." Leopold said as they slid closer to each other, soon sitting on the same side of the fire, their hands touching again, and their heads resting against one another.

"Yes. Yes, I believe we do." Gaster admitted. "You're a breath of fresh air. I feel like I could just watch you forever. I don't know why humans are such beautiful beings, but…you are. Especially you."

And then it happened.

SMMMMK. Soft, gentle lips pressed up against his cheek, for a brief moment, Gaster froze up. It was as if lightning ripped through his body, his whole frame seemed to freeze as he then slooowly turned to gaze into Leopold's grey eyes. His first kiss…and with a human. A lovely-looking human at that. He tried to form words, he tried to speak, to say something, anything but all that came out was a faint soft of raspy release of air, and then…

Then his own lack of lips were pressed against Leopold's, who softly closed his eyes. They held that moment tight to their chests, not wanting to let go and for a few moments, it was as if nothing else existed. There was no wind, no birds chirping in the trees, not a single sound, not a single thing existed but them by that fire.

And then they heard a faint "he-hem" and looked up, Gerald having come back with a small bag full of herbs and other vegetables as he shook it about. "Let's make a pot up for the soup, shall we?" He remarked. "Gaster, if you'd be so kind as to walk with me while I look for some rocks to hew into a big ol' pot?"

"S-Sure." Gaster nervously gulped as he rose up, Leopold smiling as he walked with Gerald down a natural forest pathway, the rather oddly-bodied monster quietly looking up at Gaster, then at the big boulder that was off in the distance. "Sir, I just want you to know, Leopold and I didn't do anything untoward. It was only a kiss, you have my word."

"I know how you feel about him. I think it's…" Gerald trailed off. "…I find it rather disgusting, skeleton monster. I'll be blunt. It's gross." Gaster cringed, it hurt to hear such bitter words being flung at him with such iciness, but then the next words out of Gerald's mouth made him stop in his tracks. "But you make him happy, so fine. Keep seeing him if you'd like."

Gaster stared at him in surprise. "If you think my feelings for him are so disgusting, why…"

"Him being happy will improve his skills. He now has someone to fight for." Gerald approached the boulder, knocking his hand against it before glancing back at Gaster. "This will do the most good for him as a mage. That's what I care about. Not whatever the fuck you feel like doing to each other, no matter how disgusting I personally think it is. I like humans just fine, but I don't think they're meant to really fall in love with monsters, but even so, despite how I feel…I KNOW letting you do this is best for him. So I'm putting how I feel aside for a greater good." He then smiled rather dryly. "But I'd like to ask you…would your own family be as accepting of this?"

Gaster hesitated as he approached the boulder, focusing his blue magic on it, taking big, large chunks away from it as best he could, creating a large pot made out of stone. "I…doubt it, sir."

"Then for the sake of a greater good…keep it a secret." Gerald added. "And most definitely do NOT tell your brothers. I've heard all about Garamond. He'd cut Leopold's head off in a second."

"Yes, sir."

…

…

…

… _My name is Abel Rogers. I write this on behalf of a shared journal of pain, suffering and hope. In the event that nobody gets to our city in time, I want this to be a testament to what we endured here during a siege by the king of monsters, Maecoal._

_Ms. Erimentha and Ms. Hadiya explained who Mr. Solomon was. As a spider monster with considerable weaving ability he agreed to help shore up defenses, and to provide weaponry. It took him hours upon hours of spinning to create club-like weaponry, hardened webs of spider silk made to patch up holes in walls, or forming shields. He's currently bone dry and needing to wait, but he says he truly can't wait, we'll need more for torches and similar weaponry, so to replenish himself, he's trying to drink much more water._

_We've taken to boiling a lot of ocean water to help with our water supplies. I dug and dug and dug an enormous hole, one of several, and added in a gigantic pot. We offset the lid ever so slightly, and then put in a separate container. The boiled off water will condense on the inside of the lid, then run down the side into that second container to make nice, fresh water without salt to drink._

_We do need the salt though, to ensure meat doesn't go bad, so we're putting that to use as well. Some rather stupid morons suggested drinking urine. Needless to say we decided the simplest way to have them learn was to let the dunces try it themselves._

_Once they'd finished puking, they agreed to just help make more water distillation holes. Still, it wasn't a total waste. Once we realized how sick they were going to get, we decided to get them above the ramparts of our city walls and we aimed them at some monster guards patrolling down below. King Maecoal was furious at us for this. The bunnies below had no idea what they were in for, by the time they finally thought to whip out their bows and arrows, we'd already taken off, laughing at them all the while. Now they have to waste some precious water of their own taking a bath._

_We're making do as best we can. We've decided to ration out food until help can arrive. A lot of us also set up "hungry days". Days where us who've decided to make the sacrifice don't eat more than one meal a day. Either breakfast or dinner, usually. Today my only meal is some hard tack I saved from my ship, a bit of bacon, beans, some cheese, and some water._

_I know people worried that, perhaps, Solomon would get hungry and try to eat people. But luckily he's thought up a plan if things get bad. He intends to start sneaking over the wall if need be to grab up other monsters._

_I hope it doesn't come to that. But he proposed the idea so quickly that I don't know if he's terrified of being put to death before he goes mad with hunger…or because he doesn't have any sympathy for monsterkind at all._

_At night, sometimes, when we are all around our fires and keeping watch, Erimentha and Hadiya will tell stories of the gods and goddesses of their lands. I'm always saddened when they get to the tale of Medea. It's a horrifying, cruel, monstrous tale. The woman was in desperate love with the sailor Jason, who led the Argonauts. She betrayed her Father, King Aeetes of Colchis, because he wouldn't give Jason the golden fleece. When he finally got it, Medea distracted her father and allowed Jason to fled as they killed her brother. She cut him up into pieces, tossing them all over the island because she knew that unless her father put them back together, he couldn't get a proper burial. Then when she and Jason and his men made it back to the island of Thessaly, she uses magic to trick the king of the land's daughters into thinking they could make the old king young again by dismembering him, then making him into a soup! Then after having many, many children…it went horribly. Jason abandoned Medea for another woman, and she ended up not only killing the children she had with Jason, she sent the other woman, Glauce, a golden dress and coronet that was a trap. When Glauce put it on, she was set on fire. And it killed the princess AND the king, who rushed to try and get it off and burned to death too._

_The moral of that story seems to be that had Jason been loyal to her, and had King Aeetes been true and kept his word, none of this would have happened. That going back on your word will only ever end in agony and despair and horror. But to see so many people suffering so horribly to get that across…_

_Erimentha and Hadiya tell it well, though. Everyone's transfixed, their eyes wide, all huddling together as the ladies describe the tale. Erimentha in particular is a master storyteller. One day, she'll no doubt write all about what happened here and the story will be told for eons. In fact she's writing the next entry tomorrow._

_Hadiya does admit to me privately sometimes she gets somewhat creeped out at how much passion Eri puts into describing the more frightening, terrible aspects of the story, but she says Eri just gets so wrapped up in it, that she understands. She wanted to know more about the God my people used to worship. I told her she really didn't. He was a horrible, monstrous thing._

_And the worse thing is I can still hear him._

_At night, he's out there in the deep. His voice is like squishing bugs, bubbling up from below, from the dark, terrible depths. He's been watching me for so long and he refuses to let me go so easily. I was glad to leave my home, I thought I could ignore him, just leave him behind, forget about him. He will not let me. He insists upon himself._

_And he keeps getting louder…_


	12. The Siege of Dublin Town, Part 1

The city of Dublin had undergone two week's worth of siege. People were beginning to feel the tension, it was becoming far, far harder to act as though this was something they could just ride out. Day after day passed by, and an irritatingly familiar routine was being crafted. The monsters would try to shoot their bows at those upon the town ramparts, or they'd toss magical fireballs through the air or they would launch burning pitch from little catapaults, or sometimes outright try to climb the walls.

The citizens of Dublin town inside would wait with abated breath in bars and town squares and in the town hall, waiting and waiting for news on how the new assault had been forced back, and then scouts would rush in, saying how the new attack had been fended off. People would nervously smile, and laugh, they'd clap each other on the back and they'd all order a round or would sing and dance for joy…but all with a distinct air of desperation lingering around. A sense that…they were just keeping up appearances and people would really, really lose it hard if something wasn't done to stop the daily assaults.

The monsters would destroy the city if the ramparts fell. If it came down to it, should that happen…the folks in Dublin had all sort of agreed to fight to the last man, to the bitter end, even if they just had to use sticks, they'd go down fighting like a mad dog. But the worst part was the concern about disease. People living so close together AND enduring having flaming pitch and big clumps of monster sewage tossed at them from over the walls were living in a disease's paradise. It was getting worse and worse, people were forgetting to bathe, folks were manifesting sores, looking paler and paler than ever.

King Maecoal was aware of this. He'd seen guards on the ramparts being swapped out because they'd collapsed still holding their spears, coughing and spluttering, shaking like a leaf, sores popped up all over the exposed skin that wasn't covered by armor. And if he couldn't claim the city normally, he'd just raze it to the ground if it came to that.

And it was coming to that.

"The RATS are starting to look good." Eri admitted as she sat on the ramparts, peering out over some stone as Hadiya was currently on the other side, cleaning up a crossbow so she could make use of it whilst Solomon sat between the two. He was currently in his more monstrous, spidery-form, white hair fluttering in the wind, a squealing rat vainly thrashing around in his clawed grip as he held it above his head. "But still, I mean…the smell of those things. And being so…small and squirmy. How can you stand it?"

"I shut my eyes and think one word." Solomon told her calmly as he took in a deep breath and then dropped the rat right into his mandibled maw. GLOMP. "…venison." He told Eri as she cringed, watching him swallow the thing down whole and alive.

"Does it work?" She wanted to know.

"…a little." Solomon confessed. "But not by much!"

"How intriguing, two mages have graced the ramparts my men keep such a close eye on." A voice rang out as they looked up. Sure enough, it was King Maecoal himself, and by his side was very clearly his son. The human guards atop the ramparts of Dublin all readied their weaponry, taking up positions as dark clouds quilted the sky above all their heads. Hadiya clenched her fist, readying her small, spherical little "bullets", ready for a fight as Eri took aim with several crossbows, focusing her blue magic to hover two on either side of her body. It had taken her five solid hours of practice but now she was able to fire them with blue magic as easily as if she had them in her actual hands…one of which she had IN her actual hands, and aimed squarely at the monster king.

"How lovely for the king himself to come." Eri remarked loudly. "Truly the Lord will sell the Caananites this day into the hand of a woman!"

"Don't fool yourself, "Deborah"." King Maecoal sniggered. "You're more a Jezebel, about to be thrown down into the street for chariots to run over your bones as dogs gnaw upon your remain-"

KLIK! Eri was not having any of that. A crossbow bolt sailed through the air, King Maecoal frowning as it went THA-THUNK, bouncing off his chest armor. "…really? You thought I'd be stupid enough to wear armor that your weaponry could pierce? Are all you human wenches this stup-"

Luckily that distracted him long enough for HADIYA to do what she did so well, as one of her yellow bullets sailed through the air and knocked his crown clean off, knocking him back a few feet as he staggered, furiously glowering in her direction, looking like a bull that had just been whacked on the nose. "Call Erimentha that more time, and the next one goes right up your nose." She swore.

"Languaaaage!" Solomon called out mockingly, King Maecoal furiously snarling as he slammed his big, enormous trident into the ground.

"You want to play it that way? Fine! Son, get Grillby out here. I want to talk to him about having him make use of his full potential!"

"Father, he's outright refused to just 'raze the ramparts'." Prince Asgore muttered quietly. "Remember, you broached the subject last week?" He admitted.

"I'm going to be more persuasive, then." King Maecoal mumbled. "In the meantime, you take over for me at the front lines and start shelling them with more burning pitch and refuse. Let's see how they like an hour long onslaught of filth!" He proclaimed, shaking his fist at the humans before he trudged back to the monster encampment as Prince Asgore sharply whistled, and catapaults began to be moved up.

"Oh geez, here they come AGAIN!" Solomon yelled out. "Get my webbing shields ready!" He cried out as he clenched his fists and began to furiously spin a new batch of silken shielding for his plan, the others on the ramparts scrambling to get their shields up. "All hands on deck, all hands on deck!"

"Hope you like it!" announced a VERY smug-looking Garamond the skeleton as his brother Courier held up a burning torch, lighting up a pile of…very foul-looking stuff. "You would not believe how difficult it was to get all this out, but we did it! One of the many benefits to being a skeleton monster!"

"You guys are SICK!" Hadiya screeched back as Courier blushed a bit in embarrassment as the burning pile of skeleton shit soared through the air. She held up the enormous woven shield of spider silk as it collided hard, almost knocking her back and off the ramparts as the burning poop splattered and flopped all about. "The audacity of these monsters!"

"Thank goodness my shields are holding up." Solomon remarked as a bunch of crap sailed over his head and flopped down into the streets below. It was a good thing that the people had wisely taken to staying as far away from the city walls and had moved out of homes close to it. Nevertheless, a lot of burning refuse, pitch and crap still found it's way inside, flung through the air, and so a system had been set up to put it out, big buckets of water, sometimes ALSO formed from Solomon's silk, carried from the ocean to whatever was burning.

"They're hoping they can either wait for us to get feeble enough from sickness to just rush on in and overwhelm us, and if they can't do that, Maecoal will force Grillby to just raze the town, I'm sure of it." Hadiya said as she swung her arms. TWHOOSH-THWOOSH-THWOOSH! Her bullets sailed forth, monsters trying to load their catapaults racing away to avoid getting filled up with holes. "We need backup! We can't hold out like this."

It was true. They wouldn't last another month. The sickness was getting far worse than they had any idea, a very slim majority of the town was actually infected with the ravaging disease swelling up inside Dublin, they simply hadn't manifested the symptoms yet. Someone had to save them.

Luckily for them, there were several someones on the way. And one of them was now overlooking the monster encampment from afar on a high hill.

"Theeeeere they are." Cu Chulainn murmured as he and Elisud scouted ahead under the cover of darkness. It was beginning to rain, the water pouring down from the opened heavens as they crouched under sown-together big ol' cloaks designed to protect against the rain. While an umbrella may have been more helpful, such a thing wasn't really used in their lands, people preferred cloaks like these, and the two were tightly bundled up indeed. "I can see them, alright, and I can see Grillby's tent. Look, there." He pointed far off in the distance. "What kind of tent would have that bright a fire and that TALL a one burning in it? See? It's even moving around."

"Yes, that's Sir Grillersby, alright, and where he is, so's Prince Asgore." Elisud murmured. "They must have met up with King Maecoal, the rumors we heard from travelers on the road were true."

"He's taken time to lay waste to the countryside, very, very carefully. Now he's finally reached Dublin, huh…" Cu Chulainn growled. "Well, alert our men. We need to meet up with Dublin's resistance, let them know they have help, and then we can close in on the monsters from two sides, snapping in on them like a crab with its claws!"

"Good idea!" Elisud said with a nod. "Maybe it's best if I go, sir?" He offered. "I mean, I'm small and short enough and my cloak is dark enough that I'll be harder to notice than most of our men." He suggested. "And if trouble arises, I'll simply use my bubble!" He added with a smile.

Cu Chulainn chuckled a bit. "You and your bubble." He remarked.

In truth, the red-haired warrior was finding Elisud's company amazingly calming AND helpful. Elisud had suggested that whenever the folk hero wanted to get out how he felt, to just…lash out and strike at something if he was honestly mad? Whack Elisud when he was in his bubble. So the "Bubble Boy" would just let Cu Chulainn beat and strike and punch and headbutt and kick at the big, green, magical shielding bubble he'd manifest, letting the red-haired, hot-headed man get it all out of his system.

Then something odd began to happen after all that.

He would sit down…and Elisud would sit next to him, and they'd just…

Talk. That's all. Just talking. And now the two were comfortable enough talking that Elisud could openly ask…

"Could you tell me what you see when your future self speaks to you?"

Cu Chulainn stared at Elisud for a while. The question had come right out of nowhere. He wasn't opposed to the idea of talking about it, but…still, to just have it dropped on him so suddenly made him stare. Finally, at long last, he spoke aloud as the winds began to become chilly around them, making him huddle up even more under his large cloak. "The first time it ever happened was when I was trying a technique I had learned about from visitors to our lands. They'd spoken of the power of the one known as "The Buddha" and how meditation led him to reaching a place they called "Nirvana". That it would calm you, bring you to a higher state, a greater, spiritual place inside your heart. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but I began to think how similar it was to my little counting exercise I'd do to calm myself, counting to thirty whenever I was feeling very angry with my wife, to keep myself from yelling at her. It always worked so well, so I thought I'd try this "meditation"."

"And that was when you first encountered your "future self"?" Elisud asked.

"Yes." Cu Chulainn could still see that moment clear in his mind's eye. The air is cold and bitter and foul, yet somehow, also hot and cramped and humid. The land is dead all around me, and mountains piercing into a dark sky linger in the distance. He sat upon a throne of bones and skulls, many…many of them were children." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable, glancing to the side. "And he told me I was he, and he was I. That I would become him in the future, and he would guide me to victory in battle if I heeded his words. Naturally, I tried to hit him, he just…" Cu Chulainn cringed. "A single FLICK of his wrist knocked me across the land like I was a child's toy being tossed away. I had no real choice but to listen, he just…he seemed so insanely powerful, and his words always ended up being proven right. So I kept listening, again and again. I didn't see the big deal but…"

He trailed off for a while, and nothing but the small thudding of raindrops cascading around them filled their ears.

"Now I realize there was something I desperately should have asked about. My family. If I had just paid more attention to them, they'd still be here." He murmured. "And every day I'm waking up to not see my sweet boy and my beautiful wife…their eyes always calmed me. Connla in my lap was…a rock for me when I was scrambling to stay afloat in a river." He tried to explain, grabbing at the air as if trying to wrench hold of a point. "Now…now they're gone. And it's as if big chunks of my insides went with them." He murmured. "…what am I going to do?"

"I'm here to talk, if you want." Elisud offered. "I'll always be here, sir. As a shoulder to cry on. Or just to lend an ear. Like it says in Ecclesiastes, "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth."

Cu Chulainn stared at him for a while, blinking a bit. "You know, I don't believe in your God. But his books sure have very pretty words."

"Well, it's nice we've got that, at least." Elisud offered. "I'll begin sneaking into Dublin, sir. Wish me luck."

"I suppose…go with Christ, as your ilk would say?" Cu Chulainn chuckled as Eli nodded, keeping crouched down, racing from tree to tree as the rain continued to pour, the red-haired, fierce-eyed warrior looking on as he watched the young man barrel off for Dublin in a zig-zagged manner. "He's something special, that young mage." He thought to himself. "So mature for his age, too. Doesn't look half bad eith-"

He suddenly stopped himself. His eyes went wide as his mouth gaped open in shock at the realization of what had just left his mouth. He clamped his hands over his mouth, turning pale, a cold chill sinking into him. What in the hell had he just said?! He…he couldn't TALK like that! You didn't…not with a man! And especially not with someone so much younger than he was! Cu Chulainn was old enough to be the teenager's father! He couldn't possibly have…FEELINGS for him! That idea was disgusting! Unnatural!

But he felt so calm around Eli. And he was always so…happy.

"By WHICHEVER God…what in the fuck am I supposed to do?" Chulainn groaned as he buried his face in his hands.

...

...

...

...Elisud kept himself hidden as the dark rain poured down all around him, a steady THUDDA-THUD-THUDDing echoing through the air from the thick and heavy droplets of water. It was pouring so hard you could scarcely see two feet in front of you, it was as if all around him was hidden by a curtain of water. What he could see, though, was various irritated-looking bunny guards who were looking up at the walls of Dublin Town, holding tightly onto spears and grumbling their unhappiness at each other.

"S'been SIX WEEKS since we got here and they still ain't given up yet. The other's gave up two weeks ago, they couldn't last a bloody month!" The first one remarked as his compatriot sighed, both of them having distinct English accents.

"Well, y'know, not everyone's got what it takes. Some people are just a load of poncy gits that can't hack it." The second bunny guard remarked.

"Yeah, but why do WE gotta hack guard duty today in the worst bloody rainstorm I've ever seen?" His friend wanted to know. Both were wearing cloaks over their round-helmed heads, having thick boots, thick gloves, and looked as miserable as can be, their bunny ears poking up through little holes in their cloaks. "Remind me again why we can't just get our platoon of merfolk to handle this? They love water, don't they?"

"They're sick, remember? They've actually caught colds except for Selkie." The first bunny guard remarked. "Evidently, they're really, really sick too-SHH. Here she comes!"

Elisud realized that the clanking of armor was coming this way and he quickly hid himself right behind the backs of the bunny guards, turning around just as they did, remaining as hidden as he could as a female merperson approached. Unlike others of her ilk, Selkie had a distinctly darker color of skin that was faintly seal-like in color, and she was much more well-built and toned in her muscular structure. On top of that, she was wearing tight-fitting armor under the rain cloak she wore and yet had a distinctly big pot belly on display that jiggled a bit as she looked the two bunny guards over, frowning a bit, with very deep brown eyes.

"Any humans come by? None of them trying to sneak out?" Selkie demanded to know in a distinctly Icelandic voice, her cadence very thick indeed and with dark black hair flopping down her features.

"Believe us, ma'am, we've had our eyes and ears peeled and we ain't seen or heard a single one!" The bunny guards insisted as they both saluted.

"Yes, we've been very closely guarding this section of Dublin's wall, and we've not seen a single bloody human. They're all staying sheltered inside the town or up on the top of the walls overlooking all of us, but they've not even tried shooting at us or anything, it's as if the rain itself just saps their strength." The first bunny guard confessed.

"If I had to guess, ma'am, I reckon humans don't much like being out in the rain." The second bunny guard admitted. "They're probably more miserable here than we are, and we're from England, we're very used to rain, ma'am!"

"BAH, you call this a drizzle? It wouldn't even give the women in my homeland the sniffles. You all can barely hack it." She told them with a scowl, sticking her mottled-looking tongue out, which made the bunnies cringe. "The mer-platoon can't seem to stomach this either, they spend so much time in the lovely Italian or Spanish sunshine or hanging around with the Portuguese and in other lovely warm waters, none of them really know what it's like to be in cooler, more trying temperatures." Selkie muttered. "Builds  **character**!" She proclaimed, smacking her chest with her gauntleted fist. "At any rate, keep an eye out. Maintain your post!" She demanded. "All three of you little bunnies." She remarked, nodding as she walked on off, the two bunny guards saluting after her.

"Yes, ma'am! Of course, we're gonna…"

Then they stopped, staring at each other. "Wait, did she say…" the second one began, the first one nodding as they turned to look behind them…

But Elisud had already taken off, he was now climbing up the wall as best he could, using blue magic to elevate himself up, up, onto the ramparts, flopping down right next to, of all people, Solomon and Eri, the two currently on guard duty themselves at that spot of the Dublin wall as Hadiya and Abel were patrolling a section across from them. "Oh!" Solomon intoned, looking surprised as he held up a shield of strong webbing he'd waterproofed over he and Eri's head, Elisud picking himself up. "My, my. Who might you be?" He inquired. "I can tell you're a mage from that fine little display of blue magic. I'm Solomon, and this is Eri, and you would be…?"

"I'm Elisud, sir." Elisud bowed his head at him, then at Eri, who's hand he shook. "I'm here to deliver a message from Cu Chulainn, if you would hear it. We've mustered our forces not far from Dublin Town, and we're ready to help you. We've an idea for a pincer attack, you in the town can sweep forth from your city and we'll come racing in from behind. I just need to give Cu Chulainn the symbol and we'll put the plan into action." The green-robed young man informed the two. "Who's in charge here of the town's defenses?"

"The mayor'll be very happy to here this!" Eri intoned. "Finally, we've been waiting AGES for some kind of backup!" She joyously grinned as she held out her arms.

"Oh, geez, s-sorry, I don't want to get you wet…" Elisud admitted nervously as Eri chuckled.

"Get me wet." She insisted as Elisud hugged her, Solomon chuckling a little.

"I'll go alert our friends, then. How are we going to signal your lord Cu Chulainn's forces? A fire of some kind?" He inquired of Elisud as he shook his head.

"No, you just need me. I'm to manifest the biggest, largest green shield I can manifest on top of the ramparts. But we'd best wait for this awful rain to clear." He added before a THWIZZZ sound rang through the air and he cringed, gasping in pain, an arrow had stuck right into his shoulder, and damn, did it hurt!

"Human mage, human mage!" One of the bunny guards below roared out as Solomon quickly maneuvered his shield he'd been using to protect from the rain in front to shield Elisud and Eri as they scrambled to move down to the town streets below on a ladder, Elisud cringing as Eri brought him into a nearby house to remove the arrow, more arrows flying at the ramparts as the cries of angry monsters rang out.

"Hold on…this'll hurt a bit." Eri said, taking a deep breath as she grasped the arrow, then quickly yanked as hard and swiftly as she could, tugging it out. Elisud panted heavily, wiping his brow as he held his hand up to his shoulder.

"Just need to focus a little…could I have some water?" He asked as Eri nodded, turning to a small group of Dubliners who were standing around them.

"Water, please." She insisted as one of them raced off, bringing back a waterskin, made from sheep skin. Eri raised it to the young and bearded lad's lips and Elisud took a few swigs, closing his eyes.

"Thank you very much. God bless you." He softly intoned as he smiled at them all before the hand on his shoulder glowed with a soft green light. Bit by bit the wound from the arrow began to fade as he sighed, now he just had a tear in his cloak instead.

"Ah, so that's how green magic works." Eri remarked, looking very impressed indeed as Elisud rubbed the back of his neck. "You're a "Kindness" soul."

"Yes, Miss Eri." He remarked as he looked into her eyes, and a faint tingle rose up in him. "Would…would you happen to be a magic user too?" He asked of her. "I've got this hunch inside me that you are."

"Oh, yes, I can use purple magic." She remarked. "I'm able to bring the things I draw to life." She told Elisud. "It's helped out a little when it comes to replacing torn waterskins or broken furniture or food items, but it takes a lot out of me. On top of that, we've kind of gone through a lot of the parchment I could use to make such things."

"You burn it for fires, then?" Elisud inquired.

"…well, not at FIRST…" Eri admitted with a sigh, shaking her head back and forth. "I'm very glad you're here because it was getting horrible. I mean, we've utterly run out of tablecloths now, people are that desperate. And you don't wanna KNOW how we get rid of all the waste."

SPLOOOOORSCCCGGGGGHHHHH! Catapault loads of very unpleasant things indeed had been jettisoned out from the town square and now flopped down onto the armored, irritated and infuriated forms of the besieging monsters outside as they held their shields up, cringing in disgust. "You people are GARBAGE!" King Maecoal furiously bellowed out as he hid underneath his own enormous shield, the monsters around him gagging in disgust at the smell.

"Speaking OF, have a little more!" Hadiya yelled back from over the wall as she turned back to the town. "Give 'em another load!" She called out as Abel pinched his nose tight with one hand, the other holding up a shield to protect himself and Hadiya from the inevitable onslaught of retaliatory arrows that were sure to follow after this, as they always did. They had run out of the material needed to make "Greek fire", a kind of dark oil, "crude oil" in fact. So they'd figured out something else to toss at the monsters that was proving just as effective in its own disgusting and childish way.

"Thank God we'll literally never run outta shit to throw at them." Abel remarked as Hadiya began to laugh so hard she doubled up.

Meanwhile, Tobias, Toriel, Seiichi and Sakamoto were having a meeting with the most powerful blue mage in town, which, in their case, was none other than Leopold, and as they went to approach his home, they stopped in mid-walk, staring in surprise, seeing the unmistakable sign of Leopold giving a skeleton monster, and a male one at that, a kiss on the cheek. The two had been practicing lifting Gaster up into the air along with Gerald, and now Leopold had gotten so good he no longer really seemed to need much additional magical aid from the faintly UFO-shaped alien anymore.

And as Leo had bounded up and down for joy, holding Gaster in his arms in a hug, the moment had happened, a quick kiss right on the cheeks, first the left, then the right!

"OH." Toriel had remarked aloud, Tobias gaping, mouth wide open, Seiichi staring ahead as Sakamoto went "Huh", shrugging a bit as Gaster, Leo and Gerald turned to look at them. "Um…h-hello."

"Oh! Uh…" Leopold turned almost as white as his long hair. "Just, um…er…"

They all stared at him, Toriel glancing away as Tobias cleared his throat. "I'm, ah, going to pretend I didn't see that." He murmured to them. "I'm not going to judge you for what you do in your spare time, but you probably should not be doing that sort of thing anywhere in town. Unless you both decide to engage in "Adelphopoiesis" but you're too young to go into a "brother making" ceremony. Not everyone is Saint Sergius and Bacchus."

"How old do you have to be?" Leopold asked quickly as Gerald held up a finger to his lips.

"SHHHH! SHH-SHH-SHHH. None of that, none of that! Not right now, we've got a dragon in front of us!" He said quickly as Sakamoto chuckled.

"In OUR culture, we don't really give a damn about who marries who, in fact, we have "open" marriages. If we so desire, another man or woman is allowed to sleep with those not their husbands or wives, we simply understand that, in the end, they will come back to their truest love."

"That seems…" Toriel frowned. "I'm sorry, that seems very reckless and naïve to make such an assumption, you're almost inviting cheating on you, inviting your heart to be broken."

"A risk we don't mind taking." Sakamoto intoned. "What IS your species's hangup with homosexuality? Animals in nature engage in it, it's not that strange, the Greeks were famous for it."

"Yes, but they were also famous for rather disturbing things with boys." Tobias said quickly. "I've read up on it, good sir, they're not beyond reproach. I would just prefer people keep their more…erotic feelings to themselves and to their homes." He commented.

"Have you ever been in love?" Gaster asked of Tobias, looking the brown-haired young lord over, seeing his rosy complexion. My, my, my, he was quite a lovely specimen of human himself. Seiichi wasn't his type much, but he was kind of cute in a charming sort of butterball-like way.

"Um…well, I've had infatuation, perhaps." Tobias mumbled. "But at any rate, you seem to be an exceptionally wonderful mage, Mr. Leopold, and we'd like you to join our little campaign. King Maecoal himself is at Dublin Town, laying siege to it. We wish to completely overwhelm him. Capturing him, we'll force the Monsters he commands into signing terms of surrender." Tobias went on. "It will be difficult, admittedly, because he's amassing more of his troops based off intercepted communiques we've gotten hold of, but if we strike quickly, we can get to him before his backup does."

"And while he may be able to handle one, two, maybe even three mages at once, having about half a dozen fighting alongside hundreds, if not thousands of humans, including the one and only Cu Chulainn is another thing entirely." Sakamoto intoned. "So what say you?"

"You just want to capture him?" Leopold asked quietly, looking from them to Gaster and Gerald, biting his lip.

"Yes. We would capture him and force his surrender, we would prefer not to kill him. But it's best we get there soon as possible, because from what I've heard, Cu Chulainn is not famed for his patience, nor his mercy." Seiichi remarked. "Tobias and Ms. Toriel have been regaling me with all kinds of stories about him. Can he really turn into a demon?" He wanted to know.

"Oh, yes, I can testify to that." Gaster said. "My brother Garamond has fought with him, his skin becomes all red, scaley, he gains horns, a tail, claws, taloned feet…" He shuddered. "Evidently he also smells like brimstone, too. A true demon, that's his unique ability, that's not in dispute at all."

"…oh. Oh, well, um…that's…" Seiichi looked considerably disturbed. "I…well, so, er…are you going to come with us?"

"Yes, yes I will." Leopold said. "But I would very much like for Gaster to be allowed to come with me alongside Gerald. They're very dear and helpful to me."

The others nervously looked at each other. "We'll uh…discuss it while you have a chat with your two "nakama"." Seiichi murmured. As they walked off, Seiichi put his hands in his robes pockets, biting his lip, looking down at the ground as Sakamoto glanced back at him.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"An actual demon? A real demon? I mean…" Seiichi sounded sick. "He's a real demon! We have legends of demons where I'm from but I've never heard actual evidence of it, never heard the animals talk of them, there's always just been spirits angered by others, who felt unjustly wronged and who wanted to get even with humans, like the youkai. But if demons are truly real, then maybe…maybe evil is real. And I've been taught for years it really wasn't, but-"

Sakamoto quietly nodded as Toriel then gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and Seiichi looked quickly up at her. She smiled warmly back at him.

"I've also heard Cu Chulainn had a wife and son he loved even more than fighting. Anyone like that can't truly be evil, can they?" She offered.

"Do you believe in the Devil, Ms. Toriel?" Seiichi asked. "Do you not think he's evil?"

"I think he's delusional and pitiable." Toriel told Seiichi. "We've had prayers for many people, but none for the one who needs mercy the most…the most pitiful, deluded, utter fool of all who had paradise and threw it away. And if he was good and smart enough to realize it, he'd be welcomed back into God's arms. Yet even then, the Devil still sometimes does God's work, sometimes we need to be tested and tempted to emerge stronger. Try to think of THIS as a test. Maybe you'll come out stronger for it."

Seiichi gave her a big, fat hug. She smiled, hugging the twelve year old back. "Children like you shouldn't have such great a burden placed on you. I'm sorry that you do."

"You're wise beyond your years, Ms. Toriel. I wish more people were like you."

"Yeah. That's what's so amazing about her." Tobias said with a nod and a big smile at Toriel as Sakamoto slightly clucked his tongue, and shook his head back and forth.

Gaster and Leopold, meanwhile, were sitting in the kitchen in the house Gerald and Leopold were staying in, Leo and Gaster holding hands.

"Will your mother allow it?"

"I'm old enough to make decisions for myself." Gaster said firmly. "I don't care if she does say no, Leo. I'm going with you. You couldn't stop me even if you told me not to and tried to tie me down."

"You really want this?"

"Yes."

"So do I." Leo squeezed his hand. "I just wouldn't want anyone else besides you and Gerald by my side for this."

Gerald rubbed the back of his head. "Don't be going all sentimental on us, m'boy. We've got a lot of work still to do. You'll be out on the front lines, no kind of safety net. You'll have to either sink or swim. So can you promise me you won't drown?"

"I'm a damn good swimmer, Gerald." Leopold insisted. "I think I'll stay above water. And I'll make sure you do too."

And so, as the sun began to descend, it was decided. They would go to Dublin Town as quickly as possible, travelling upon Sakamoto as Tobias left the town in the charge of his parents. He'd instructed the court mage and his sons to find a way to keep in touch with him though.

"We've got an idea that could work." Said Mr. Bloke, the ghost monster smiling as his adorable sons pulled off the cover of an enormous mirror, which reflected…nothing. It was all swimmy and dusty and dark. "Say your name, milord."

"Tobias." Tobias said quickly into the mirror as the others gazed on, mesmerized by the sight as the swirling black inky abyss in the mirror transfigured itself into, sure enough, Tobias!

"It's you!" Mr. Bloke laughed. "See, this mirror is enchanted. We're going to work on having it hone in upon your very soul, sir. And it'll, in turn, then hone back on us. You will see us, we will see you and anyone else who's currently touching your body and in front of the mirror. Right now though, it's not quite finished, it only lasts for five minutes." He added as Tobias could see the visage in the mirror fading away to darkness once again. "But it'll prove invaluable, we'll let you know how things are back home and can provide you with news from feelers we've sent out across our lands. If more monsters are coming to Dublin Town, if there's going to be rioting in Germany, you'll know almost as soon as we know."

"Brilliant!" Tobias said happily, giving Mr. Bloke a hug…or rather, trying to. His arms passed through Mr. Bloke as he cringed. "Oops. S-Sorry." He murmured as he shuddered. "Wow, I can't feel you, yet you're icy cold!"

"A regrettable side effect of being dead." Mr. Bloke admitted. "It's always very chilly for me. Like it's a winter's evening and I've plumb forgotten to put on any pants."

Toriel began laughing so hard she fell off Sakamoto. "Okay, little rule. Nobody tell ANY jokes when I'm flying!" Sakamoto insisted as Leopold hovered her right onto the dragon's back. "Can we agree on that?"

"No promises." Toriel giggled mischievously.


	13. The Siege of Dublin Town, Part 1

The city of Dublin had undergone two week's worth of siege. People were beginning to feel the tension, it was becoming far, far harder to act as though this was something they could just ride out. Day after day passed by, and an irritatingly familiar routine was being crafted. The monsters would try to shoot their bows at those upon the town ramparts, or they'd toss magical fireballs through the air or they would launch burning pitch from little catapaults, or sometimes outright try to climb the walls.

The citizens of Dublin town inside would wait with abated breath in bars and town squares and in the town hall, waiting and waiting for news on how the new assault had been forced back, and then scouts would rush in, saying how the new attack had been fended off. People would nervously smile, and laugh, they'd clap each other on the back and they'd all order a round or would sing and dance for joy…but all with a distinct air of desperation lingering around. A sense that…they were just keeping up appearances and people would really, really lose it hard if something wasn't done to stop the daily assaults.

The monsters would destroy the city if the ramparts fell. If it came down to it, should that happen…the folks in Dublin had all sort of agreed to fight to the last man, to the bitter end, even if they just had to use sticks, they'd go down fighting like a mad dog. But the worst part was the concern about disease. People living so close together AND enduring having flaming pitch and big clumps of monster sewage tossed at them from over the walls were living in a disease's paradise. It was getting worse and worse, people were forgetting to bathe, folks were manifesting sores, looking paler and paler than ever.

King Maecoal was aware of this. He'd seen guards on the ramparts being swapped out because they'd collapsed still holding their spears, coughing and spluttering, shaking like a leaf, sores popped up all over the exposed skin that wasn't covered by armor. And if he couldn't claim the city normally, he'd just raze it to the ground if it came to that.

And it was coming to that.

"The RATS are starting to look good." Eri admitted as she sat on the ramparts, peering out over some stone as Hadiya was currently on the other side, cleaning up a crossbow so she could make use of it whilst Solomon sat between the two. He was currently in his more monstrous, spidery-form, white hair fluttering in the wind, a squealing rat vainly thrashing around in his clawed grip as he held it above his head. "But still, I mean…the smell of those things. And being so…small and squirmy. How can you stand it?"

"I shut my eyes and think one word." Solomon told her calmly as he took in a deep breath and then dropped the rat right into his mandibled maw. GLOMP. "…venison." He told Eri as she cringed, watching him swallow the thing down whole and alive.

"Does it work?" She wanted to know.

"…a little." Solomon confessed. "But not by much!"

"How intriguing, two mages have graced the ramparts my men keep such a close eye on." A voice rang out as they looked up. Sure enough, it was King Maecoal himself, and by his side was very clearly his son. The human guards atop the ramparts of Dublin all readied their weaponry, taking up positions as dark clouds quilted the sky above all their heads. Hadiya clenched her fist, readying her small, spherical little "bullets", ready for a fight as Eri took aim with several crossbows, focusing her blue magic to hover two on either side of her body. It had taken her five solid hours of practice but now she was able to fire them with blue magic as easily as if she had them in her actual hands…one of which she had IN her actual hands, and aimed squarely at the monster king.

"How lovely for the king himself to come." Eri remarked loudly. "Truly the Lord will sell the Caananites this day into the hand of a woman!"

"Don't fool yourself, "Deborah"." King Maecoal sniggered. "You're more a Jezebel, about to be thrown down into the street for chariots to run over your bones as dogs gnaw upon your remain-"

KLIK! Eri was not having any of that. A crossbow bolt sailed through the air, King Maecoal frowning as it went THA-THUNK, bouncing off his chest armor. "…really? You thought I'd be stupid enough to wear armor that your weaponry could pierce? Are all you human wenches this stup-"

Luckily that distracted him long enough for HADIYA to do what she did so well, as one of her yellow bullets sailed through the air and knocked his crown clean off, knocking him back a few feet as he staggered, furiously glowering in her direction, looking like a bull that had just been whacked on the nose. "Call Erimentha that more time, and the next one goes right up your nose." She swore.

"Languaaaage!" Solomon called out mockingly, King Maecoal furiously snarling as he slammed his big, enormous trident into the ground.

"You want to play it that way? Fine! Son, get Grillby out here. I want to talk to him about having him make use of his full potential!"

"Father, he's outright refused to just 'raze the ramparts'." Prince Asgore muttered quietly. "Remember, you broached the subject last week?" He admitted.

"I'm going to be more persuasive, then." King Maecoal mumbled. "In the meantime, you take over for me at the front lines and start shelling them with more burning pitch and refuse. Let's see how they like an hour long onslaught of filth!" He proclaimed, shaking his fist at the humans before he trudged back to the monster encampment as Prince Asgore sharply whistled, and catapaults began to be moved up.

"Oh geez, here they come AGAIN!" Solomon yelled out. "Get my webbing shields ready!" He cried out as he clenched his fists and began to furiously spin a new batch of silken shielding for his plan, the others on the ramparts scrambling to get their shields up. "All hands on deck, all hands on deck!"

"Hope you like it!" announced a VERY smug-looking Garamond the skeleton as his brother Courier held up a burning torch, lighting up a pile of…very foul-looking stuff. "You would not believe how difficult it was to get all this out, but we did it! One of the many benefits to being a skeleton monster!"

"You guys are SICK!" Hadiya screeched back as Courier blushed a bit in embarrassment as the burning pile of skeleton shit soared through the air. She held up the enormous woven shield of spider silk as it collided hard, almost knocking her back and off the ramparts as the burning poop splattered and flopped all about. "The audacity of these monsters!"

"Thank goodness my shields are holding up." Solomon remarked as a bunch of crap sailed over his head and flopped down into the streets below. It was a good thing that the people had wisely taken to staying as far away from the city walls and had moved out of homes close to it. Nevertheless, a lot of burning refuse, pitch and crap still found it's way inside, flung through the air, and so a system had been set up to put it out, big buckets of water, sometimes ALSO formed from Solomon's silk, carried from the ocean to whatever was burning.

"They're hoping they can either wait for us to get feeble enough from sickness to just rush on in and overwhelm us, and if they can't do that, Maecoal will force Grillby to just raze the town, I'm sure of it." Hadiya said as she swung her arms. TWHOOSH-THWOOSH-THWOOSH! Her bullets sailed forth, monsters trying to load their catapaults racing away to avoid getting filled up with holes. "We need backup! We can't hold out like this."

It was true. They wouldn't last another month. The sickness was getting far worse than they had any idea, a very slim majority of the town was actually infected with the ravaging disease swelling up inside Dublin, they simply hadn't manifested the symptoms yet. Someone had to save them.

Luckily for them, there were several someones on the way. And one of them was now overlooking the monster encampment from afar on a high hill.

"Theeeeere they are." Cu Chulainn murmured as he and Elisud scouted ahead under the cover of darkness. It was beginning to rain, the water pouring down from the opened heavens as they crouched under sown-together big ol' cloaks designed to protect against the rain. While an umbrella may have been more helpful, such a thing wasn't really used in their lands, people preferred cloaks like these, and the two were tightly bundled up indeed. "I can see them, alright, and I can see Grillby's tent. Look, there." He pointed far off in the distance. "What kind of tent would have that bright a fire and that TALL a one burning in it? See? It's even moving around."

"Yes, that's Sir Grillersby, alright, and where he is, so's Prince Asgore." Elisud murmured. "They must have met up with King Maecoal, the rumors we heard from travelers on the road were true."

"He's taken time to lay waste to the countryside, very, very carefully. Now he's finally reached Dublin, huh…" Cu Chulainn growled. "Well, alert our men. We need to meet up with Dublin's resistance, let them know they have help, and then we can close in on the monsters from two sides, snapping in on them like a crab with its claws!"

"Good idea!" Elisud said with a nod. "Maybe it's best if I go, sir?" He offered. "I mean, I'm small and short enough and my cloak is dark enough that I'll be harder to notice than most of our men." He suggested. "And if trouble arises, I'll simply use my bubble!" He added with a smile.

Cu Chulainn chuckled a bit. "You and your bubble." He remarked.

In truth, the red-haired warrior was finding Elisud's company amazingly calming AND helpful. Elisud had suggested that whenever the folk hero wanted to get out how he felt, to just…lash out and strike at something if he was honestly mad? Whack Elisud when he was in his bubble. So the "Bubble Boy" would just let Cu Chulainn beat and strike and punch and headbutt and kick at the big, green, magical shielding bubble he'd manifest, letting the red-haired, hot-headed man get it all out of his system.

Then something odd began to happen after all that.

He would sit down…and Elisud would sit next to him, and they'd just…

Talk. That's all. Just talking. And now the two were comfortable enough talking that Elisud could openly ask…

"Could you tell me what you see when your future self speaks to you?"

Cu Chulainn stared at Elisud for a while. The question had come right out of nowhere. He wasn't opposed to the idea of talking about it, but…still, to just have it dropped on him so suddenly made him stare. Finally, at long last, he spoke aloud as the winds began to become chilly around them, making him huddle up even more under his large cloak. "The first time it ever happened was when I was trying a technique I had learned about from visitors to our lands. They'd spoken of the power of the one known as "The Buddha" and how meditation led him to reaching a place they called "Nirvana". That it would calm you, bring you to a higher state, a greater, spiritual place inside your heart. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but I began to think how similar it was to my little counting exercise I'd do to calm myself, counting to thirty whenever I was feeling very angry with my wife, to keep myself from yelling at her. It always worked so well, so I thought I'd try this "meditation"."

"And that was when you first encountered your "future self"?" Elisud asked.

"Yes." Cu Chulainn could still see that moment clear in his mind's eye. The air is cold and bitter and foul, yet somehow, also hot and cramped and humid. The land is dead all around me, and mountains piercing into a dark sky linger in the distance. He sat upon a throne of bones and skulls, many…many of them were children." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable, glancing to the side. "And he told me I was he, and he was I. That I would become him in the future, and he would guide me to victory in battle if I heeded his words. Naturally, I tried to hit him, he just…" Cu Chulainn cringed. "A single FLICK of his wrist knocked me across the land like I was a child's toy being tossed away. I had no real choice but to listen, he just…he seemed so insanely powerful, and his words always ended up being proven right. So I kept listening, again and again. I didn't see the big deal but…"

He trailed off for a while, and nothing but the small thudding of raindrops cascading around them filled their ears.

"Now I realize there was something I desperately should have asked about. My family. If I had just paid more attention to them, they'd still be here." He murmured. "And every day I'm waking up to not see my sweet boy and my beautiful wife…their eyes always calmed me. Connla in my lap was…a rock for me when I was scrambling to stay afloat in a river." He tried to explain, grabbing at the air as if trying to wrench hold of a point. "Now…now they're gone. And it's as if big chunks of my insides went with them." He murmured. "…what am I going to do?"

"I'm here to talk, if you want." Elisud offered. "I'll always be here, sir. As a shoulder to cry on. Or just to lend an ear. Like it says in Ecclesiastes, "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth."

Cu Chulainn stared at him for a while, blinking a bit. "You know, I don't believe in your God. But his books sure have very pretty words."

"Well, it's nice we've got that, at least." Elisud offered. "I'll begin sneaking into Dublin, sir. Wish me luck."

"I suppose…go with Christ, as your ilk would say?" Cu Chulainn chuckled as Eli nodded, keeping crouched down, racing from tree to tree as the rain continued to pour, the red-haired, fierce-eyed warrior looking on as he watched the young man barrel off for Dublin in a zig-zagged manner. "He's something special, that young mage." He thought to himself. "So mature for his age, too. Doesn't look half bad eith-"

He suddenly stopped himself. His eyes went wide as his mouth gaped open in shock at the realization of what had just left his mouth. He clamped his hands over his mouth, turning pale, a cold chill sinking into him. What in the hell had he just said?! He…he couldn't TALK like that! You didn't…not with a man! And especially not with someone so much younger than he was! Cu Chulainn was old enough to be the teenager's father! He couldn't possibly have…FEELINGS for him! That idea was disgusting! Unnatural!

But he felt so calm around Eli. And he was always so…happy.

"By WHICHEVER God…what in the fuck am I supposed to do?" Chulainn groaned as he buried his face in his hands.

...

...

...

...Elisud kept himself hidden as the dark rain poured down all around him, a steady THUDDA-THUD-THUDDing echoing through the air from the thick and heavy droplets of water. It was pouring so hard you could scarcely see two feet in front of you, it was as if all around him was hidden by a curtain of water. What he could see, though, was various irritated-looking bunny guards who were looking up at the walls of Dublin Town, holding tightly onto spears and grumbling their unhappiness at each other.

"S'been SIX WEEKS since we got here and they still ain't given up yet. The other's gave up two weeks ago, they couldn't last a bloody month!" The first one remarked as his compatriot sighed, both of them having distinct English accents.

"Well, y'know, not everyone's got what it takes. Some people are just a load of poncy gits that can't hack it." The second bunny guard remarked.

"Yeah, but why do WE gotta hack guard duty today in the worst bloody rainstorm I've ever seen?" His friend wanted to know. Both were wearing cloaks over their round-helmed heads, having thick boots, thick gloves, and looked as miserable as can be, their bunny ears poking up through little holes in their cloaks. "Remind me again why we can't just get our platoon of merfolk to handle this? They love water, don't they?"

"They're sick, remember? They've actually caught colds except for Selkie." The first bunny guard remarked. "Evidently, they're really, really sick too-SHH. Here she comes!"

Elisud realized that the clanking of armor was coming this way and he quickly hid himself right behind the backs of the bunny guards, turning around just as they did, remaining as hidden as he could as a female merperson approached. Unlike others of her ilk, Selkie had a distinctly darker color of skin that was faintly seal-like in color, and she was much more well-built and toned in her muscular structure. On top of that, she was wearing tight-fitting armor under the rain cloak she wore and yet had a distinctly big pot belly on display that jiggled a bit as she looked the two bunny guards over, frowning a bit, with very deep brown eyes.

"Any humans come by? None of them trying to sneak out?" Selkie demanded to know in a distinctly Icelandic voice, her cadence very thick indeed and with dark black hair flopping down her features.

"Believe us, ma'am, we've had our eyes and ears peeled and we ain't seen or heard a single one!" The bunny guards insisted as they both saluted.

"Yes, we've been very closely guarding this section of Dublin's wall, and we've not seen a single bloody human. They're all staying sheltered inside the town or up on the top of the walls overlooking all of us, but they've not even tried shooting at us or anything, it's as if the rain itself just saps their strength." The first bunny guard confessed.

"If I had to guess, ma'am, I reckon humans don't much like being out in the rain." The second bunny guard admitted. "They're probably more miserable here than we are, and we're from England, we're very used to rain, ma'am!"

"BAH, you call this a drizzle? It wouldn't even give the women in my homeland the sniffles. You all can barely hack it." She told them with a scowl, sticking her mottled-looking tongue out, which made the bunnies cringe. "The mer-platoon can't seem to stomach this either, they spend so much time in the lovely Italian or Spanish sunshine or hanging around with the Portuguese and in other lovely warm waters, none of them really know what it's like to be in cooler, more trying temperatures." Selkie muttered. "Builds  **character**!" She proclaimed, smacking her chest with her gauntleted fist. "At any rate, keep an eye out. Maintain your post!" She demanded. "All three of you little bunnies." She remarked, nodding as she walked on off, the two bunny guards saluting after her.

"Yes, ma'am! Of course, we're gonna…"

Then they stopped, staring at each other. "Wait, did she say…" the second one began, the first one nodding as they turned to look behind them…

But Elisud had already taken off, he was now climbing up the wall as best he could, using blue magic to elevate himself up, up, onto the ramparts, flopping down right next to, of all people, Solomon and Eri, the two currently on guard duty themselves at that spot of the Dublin wall as Hadiya and Abel were patrolling a section across from them. "Oh!" Solomon intoned, looking surprised as he held up a shield of strong webbing he'd waterproofed over he and Eri's head, Elisud picking himself up. "My, my. Who might you be?" He inquired. "I can tell you're a mage from that fine little display of blue magic. I'm Solomon, and this is Eri, and you would be…?"

"I'm Elisud, sir." Elisud bowed his head at him, then at Eri, who's hand he shook. "I'm here to deliver a message from Cu Chulainn, if you would hear it. We've mustered our forces not far from Dublin Town, and we're ready to help you. We've an idea for a pincer attack, you in the town can sweep forth from your city and we'll come racing in from behind. I just need to give Cu Chulainn the symbol and we'll put the plan into action." The green-robed young man informed the two. "Who's in charge here of the town's defenses?"

"The mayor'll be very happy to here this!" Eri intoned. "Finally, we've been waiting AGES for some kind of backup!" She joyously grinned as she held out her arms.

"Oh, geez, s-sorry, I don't want to get you wet…" Elisud admitted nervously as Eri chuckled.

"Get me wet." She insisted as Elisud hugged her, Solomon chuckling a little.

"I'll go alert our friends, then. How are we going to signal your lord Cu Chulainn's forces? A fire of some kind?" He inquired of Elisud as he shook his head.

"No, you just need me. I'm to manifest the biggest, largest green shield I can manifest on top of the ramparts. But we'd best wait for this awful rain to clear." He added before a THWIZZZ sound rang through the air and he cringed, gasping in pain, an arrow had stuck right into his shoulder, and damn, did it hurt!

"Human mage, human mage!" One of the bunny guards below roared out as Solomon quickly maneuvered his shield he'd been using to protect from the rain in front to shield Elisud and Eri as they scrambled to move down to the town streets below on a ladder, Elisud cringing as Eri brought him into a nearby house to remove the arrow, more arrows flying at the ramparts as the cries of angry monsters rang out.

"Hold on…this'll hurt a bit." Eri said, taking a deep breath as she grasped the arrow, then quickly yanked as hard and swiftly as she could, tugging it out. Elisud panted heavily, wiping his brow as he held his hand up to his shoulder.

"Just need to focus a little…could I have some water?" He asked as Eri nodded, turning to a small group of Dubliners who were standing around them.

"Water, please." She insisted as one of them raced off, bringing back a waterskin, made from sheep skin. Eri raised it to the young and bearded lad's lips and Elisud took a few swigs, closing his eyes.

"Thank you very much. God bless you." He softly intoned as he smiled at them all before the hand on his shoulder glowed with a soft green light. Bit by bit the wound from the arrow began to fade as he sighed, now he just had a tear in his cloak instead.

"Ah, so that's how green magic works." Eri remarked, looking very impressed indeed as Elisud rubbed the back of his neck. "You're a "Kindness" soul."

"Yes, Miss Eri." He remarked as he looked into her eyes, and a faint tingle rose up in him. "Would…would you happen to be a magic user too?" He asked of her. "I've got this hunch inside me that you are."

"Oh, yes, I can use purple magic." She remarked. "I'm able to bring the things I draw to life." She told Elisud. "It's helped out a little when it comes to replacing torn waterskins or broken furniture or food items, but it takes a lot out of me. On top of that, we've kind of gone through a lot of the parchment I could use to make such things."

"You burn it for fires, then?" Elisud inquired.

"…well, not at FIRST…" Eri admitted with a sigh, shaking her head back and forth. "I'm very glad you're here because it was getting horrible. I mean, we've utterly run out of tablecloths now, people are that desperate. And you don't wanna KNOW how we get rid of all the waste."

SPLOOOOORSCCCGGGGGHHHHH! Catapault loads of very unpleasant things indeed had been jettisoned out from the town square and now flopped down onto the armored, irritated and infuriated forms of the besieging monsters outside as they held their shields up, cringing in disgust. "You people are GARBAGE!" King Maecoal furiously bellowed out as he hid underneath his own enormous shield, the monsters around him gagging in disgust at the smell.

"Speaking OF, have a little more!" Hadiya yelled back from over the wall as she turned back to the town. "Give 'em another load!" She called out as Abel pinched his nose tight with one hand, the other holding up a shield to protect himself and Hadiya from the inevitable onslaught of retaliatory arrows that were sure to follow after this, as they always did. They had run out of the material needed to make "Greek fire", a kind of dark oil, "crude oil" in fact. So they'd figured out something else to toss at the monsters that was proving just as effective in its own disgusting and childish way.

"Thank God we'll literally never run outta shit to throw at them." Abel remarked as Hadiya began to laugh so hard she doubled up.

Meanwhile, Tobias, Toriel, Seiichi and Sakamoto were having a meeting with the most powerful blue mage in town, which, in their case, was none other than Leopold, and as they went to approach his home, they stopped in mid-walk, staring in surprise, seeing the unmistakable sign of Leopold giving a skeleton monster, and a male one at that, a kiss on the cheek. The two had been practicing lifting Gaster up into the air along with Gerald, and now Leopold had gotten so good he no longer really seemed to need much additional magical aid from the faintly UFO-shaped alien anymore.

And as Leo had bounded up and down for joy, holding Gaster in his arms in a hug, the moment had happened, a quick kiss right on the cheeks, first the left, then the right!

"OH." Toriel had remarked aloud, Tobias gaping, mouth wide open, Seiichi staring ahead as Sakamoto went "Huh", shrugging a bit as Gaster, Leo and Gerald turned to look at them. "Um…h-hello."

"Oh! Uh…" Leopold turned almost as white as his long hair. "Just, um…er…"

They all stared at him, Toriel glancing away as Tobias cleared his throat. "I'm, ah, going to pretend I didn't see that." He murmured to them. "I'm not going to judge you for what you do in your spare time, but you probably should not be doing that sort of thing anywhere in town. Unless you both decide to engage in "Adelphopoiesis" but you're too young to go into a "brother making" ceremony. Not everyone is Saint Sergius and Bacchus."

"How old do you have to be?" Leopold asked quickly as Gerald held up a finger to his lips.

"SHHHH! SHH-SHH-SHHH. None of that, none of that! Not right now, we've got a dragon in front of us!" He said quickly as Sakamoto chuckled.

"In OUR culture, we don't really give a damn about who marries who, in fact, we have "open" marriages. If we so desire, another man or woman is allowed to sleep with those not their husbands or wives, we simply understand that, in the end, they will come back to their truest love."

"That seems…" Toriel frowned. "I'm sorry, that seems very reckless and naïve to make such an assumption, you're almost inviting cheating on you, inviting your heart to be broken."

"A risk we don't mind taking." Sakamoto intoned. "What IS your species's hangup with homosexuality? Animals in nature engage in it, it's not that strange, the Greeks were famous for it."

"Yes, but they were also famous for rather disturbing things with boys." Tobias said quickly. "I've read up on it, good sir, they're not beyond reproach. I would just prefer people keep their more…erotic feelings to themselves and to their homes." He commented.

"Have you ever been in love?" Gaster asked of Tobias, looking the brown-haired young lord over, seeing his rosy complexion. My, my, my, he was quite a lovely specimen of human himself. Seiichi wasn't his type much, but he was kind of cute in a charming sort of butterball-like way.

"Um…well, I've had infatuation, perhaps." Tobias mumbled. "But at any rate, you seem to be an exceptionally wonderful mage, Mr. Leopold, and we'd like you to join our little campaign. King Maecoal himself is at Dublin Town, laying siege to it. We wish to completely overwhelm him. Capturing him, we'll force the Monsters he commands into signing terms of surrender." Tobias went on. "It will be difficult, admittedly, because he's amassing more of his troops based off intercepted communiques we've gotten hold of, but if we strike quickly, we can get to him before his backup does."

"And while he may be able to handle one, two, maybe even three mages at once, having about half a dozen fighting alongside hundreds, if not thousands of humans, including the one and only Cu Chulainn is another thing entirely." Sakamoto intoned. "So what say you?"

"You just want to capture him?" Leopold asked quietly, looking from them to Gaster and Gerald, biting his lip.

"Yes. We would capture him and force his surrender, we would prefer not to kill him. But it's best we get there soon as possible, because from what I've heard, Cu Chulainn is not famed for his patience, nor his mercy." Seiichi remarked. "Tobias and Ms. Toriel have been regaling me with all kinds of stories about him. Can he really turn into a demon?" He wanted to know.

"Oh, yes, I can testify to that." Gaster said. "My brother Garamond has fought with him, his skin becomes all red, scaley, he gains horns, a tail, claws, taloned feet…" He shuddered. "Evidently he also smells like brimstone, too. A true demon, that's his unique ability, that's not in dispute at all."

"…oh. Oh, well, um…that's…" Seiichi looked considerably disturbed. "I…well, so, er…are you going to come with us?"

"Yes, yes I will." Leopold said. "But I would very much like for Gaster to be allowed to come with me alongside Gerald. They're very dear and helpful to me."

The others nervously looked at each other. "We'll uh…discuss it while you have a chat with your two "nakama"." Seiichi murmured. As they walked off, Seiichi put his hands in his robes pockets, biting his lip, looking down at the ground as Sakamoto glanced back at him.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"An actual demon? A real demon? I mean…" Seiichi sounded sick. "He's a real demon! We have legends of demons where I'm from but I've never heard actual evidence of it, never heard the animals talk of them, there's always just been spirits angered by others, who felt unjustly wronged and who wanted to get even with humans, like the youkai. But if demons are truly real, then maybe…maybe evil is real. And I've been taught for years it really wasn't, but-"

Sakamoto quietly nodded as Toriel then gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and Seiichi looked quickly up at her. She smiled warmly back at him.

"I've also heard Cu Chulainn had a wife and son he loved even more than fighting. Anyone like that can't truly be evil, can they?" She offered.

"Do you believe in the Devil, Ms. Toriel?" Seiichi asked. "Do you not think he's evil?"

"I think he's delusional and pitiable." Toriel told Seiichi. "We've had prayers for many people, but none for the one who needs mercy the most…the most pitiful, deluded, utter fool of all who had paradise and threw it away. And if he was good and smart enough to realize it, he'd be welcomed back into God's arms. Yet even then, the Devil still sometimes does God's work, sometimes we need to be tested and tempted to emerge stronger. Try to think of THIS as a test. Maybe you'll come out stronger for it."

Seiichi gave her a big, fat hug. She smiled, hugging the twelve year old back. "Children like you shouldn't have such great a burden placed on you. I'm sorry that you do."

"You're wise beyond your years, Ms. Toriel. I wish more people were like you."

"Yeah. That's what's so amazing about her." Tobias said with a nod and a big smile at Toriel as Sakamoto slightly clucked his tongue, and shook his head back and forth.

Gaster and Leopold, meanwhile, were sitting in the kitchen in the house Gerald and Leopold were staying in, Leo and Gaster holding hands.

"Will your mother allow it?"

"I'm old enough to make decisions for myself." Gaster said firmly. "I don't care if she does say no, Leo. I'm going with you. You couldn't stop me even if you told me not to and tried to tie me down."

"You really want this?"

"Yes."

"So do I." Leo squeezed his hand. "I just wouldn't want anyone else besides you and Gerald by my side for this."

Gerald rubbed the back of his head. "Don't be going all sentimental on us, m'boy. We've got a lot of work still to do. You'll be out on the front lines, no kind of safety net. You'll have to either sink or swim. So can you promise me you won't drown?"

"I'm a damn good swimmer, Gerald." Leopold insisted. "I think I'll stay above water. And I'll make sure you do too."

And so, as the sun began to descend, it was decided. They would go to Dublin Town as quickly as possible, travelling upon Sakamoto as Tobias left the town in the charge of his parents. He'd instructed the court mage and his sons to find a way to keep in touch with him though.

"We've got an idea that could work." Said Mr. Bloke, the ghost monster smiling as his adorable sons pulled off the cover of an enormous mirror, which reflected…nothing. It was all swimmy and dusty and dark. "Say your name, milord."

"Tobias." Tobias said quickly into the mirror as the others gazed on, mesmerized by the sight as the swirling black inky abyss in the mirror transfigured itself into, sure enough, Tobias!

"It's you!" Mr. Bloke laughed. "See, this mirror is enchanted. We're going to work on having it hone in upon your very soul, sir. And it'll, in turn, then hone back on us. You will see us, we will see you and anyone else who's currently touching your body and in front of the mirror. Right now though, it's not quite finished, it only lasts for five minutes." He added as Tobias could see the visage in the mirror fading away to darkness once again. "But it'll prove invaluable, we'll let you know how things are back home and can provide you with news from feelers we've sent out across our lands. If more monsters are coming to Dublin Town, if there's going to be rioting in Germany, you'll know almost as soon as we know."

"Brilliant!" Tobias said happily, giving Mr. Bloke a hug…or rather, trying to. His arms passed through Mr. Bloke as he cringed. "Oops. S-Sorry." He murmured as he shuddered. "Wow, I can't feel you, yet you're icy cold!"

"A regrettable side effect of being dead." Mr. Bloke admitted. "It's always very chilly for me. Like it's a winter's evening and I've plumb forgotten to put on any pants."

Toriel began laughing so hard she fell off Sakamoto. "Okay, little rule. Nobody tell ANY jokes when I'm flying!" Sakamoto insisted as Leopold hovered her right onto the dragon's back. "Can we agree on that?"

"No promises." Toriel giggled mischievously.


	14. The Siege of Dublin, Part One

The city of Dublin had undergone two week's worth of siege. People were beginning to feel the tension, it was becoming far, far harder to act as though this was something they could just ride out. Day after day passed by, and an irritatingly familiar routine was being crafted. The monsters would try to shoot their bows at those upon the town ramparts, or they'd toss magical fireballs through the air or they would launch burning pitch from little catapaults, or sometimes outright try to climb the walls.

The citizens of Dublin town inside would wait with abated breath in bars and town squares and in the town hall, waiting and waiting for news on how the new assault had been forced back, and then scouts would rush in, saying how the new attack had been fended off. People would nervously smile, and laugh, they'd clap each other on the back and they'd all order a round or would sing and dance for joy…but all with a distinct air of desperation lingering around. A sense that…they were just keeping up appearances and people would really, really lose it hard if something wasn't done to stop the daily assaults.

The monsters would destroy the city if the ramparts fell. If it came down to it, should that happen…the folks in Dublin had all sort of agreed to fight to the last man, to the bitter end, even if they just had to use sticks, they'd go down fighting like a mad dog. But the worst part was the concern about disease. People living so close together AND enduring having flaming pitch and big clumps of monster sewage tossed at them from over the walls were living in a disease's paradise. It was getting worse and worse, people were forgetting to bathe, folks were manifesting sores, looking paler and paler than ever.

King Maecoal was aware of this. He'd seen guards on the ramparts being swapped out because they'd collapsed still holding their spears, coughing and spluttering, shaking like a leaf, sores popped up all over the exposed skin that wasn't covered by armor. And if he couldn't claim the city normally, he'd just raze it to the ground if it came to that.

And it was coming to that.

"The RATS are starting to look good." Eri admitted as she sat on the ramparts, peering out over some stone as Hadiya was currently on the other side, cleaning up a crossbow so she could make use of it whilst Solomon sat between the two. He was currently in his more monstrous, spidery-form, white hair fluttering in the wind, a squealing rat vainly thrashing around in his clawed grip as he held it above his head. "But still, I mean…the smell of those things. And being so…small and squirmy. How can you stand it?"

"I shut my eyes and think one word." Solomon told her calmly as he took in a deep breath and then dropped the rat right into his mandibled maw. GLOMP. "…venison." He told Eri as she cringed, watching him swallow the thing down whole and alive.

"Does it work?" She wanted to know.

"…a little." Solomon confessed. "But not by much!"

"How intriguing, two mages have graced the ramparts my men keep such a close eye on." A voice rang out as they looked up. Sure enough, it was King Maecoal himself, and by his side was very clearly his son. The human guards atop the ramparts of Dublin all readied their weaponry, taking up positions as dark clouds quilted the sky above all their heads. Hadiya clenched her fist, readying her small, spherical little "bullets", ready for a fight as Eri took aim with several crossbows, focusing her blue magic to hover two on either side of her body. It had taken her five solid hours of practice but now she was able to fire them with blue magic as easily as if she had them in her actual hands…one of which she had IN her actual hands, and aimed squarely at the monster king.

"How lovely for the king himself to come." Eri remarked loudly. "Truly the Lord will sell the Caananites this day into the hand of a woman!"

"Don't fool yourself, "Deborah"." King Maecoal sniggered. "You're more a Jezebel, about to be thrown down into the street for chariots to run over your bones as dogs gnaw upon your remain-"

KLIK! Eri was not having any of that. A crossbow bolt sailed through the air, King Maecoal frowning as it went THA-THUNK, bouncing off his chest armor. "…really? You thought I'd be stupid enough to wear armor that your weaponry could pierce? Are all you human wenches this stup-"

Luckily that distracted him long enough for HADIYA to do what she did so well, as one of her yellow bullets sailed through the air and knocked his crown clean off, knocking him back a few feet as he staggered, furiously glowering in her direction, looking like a bull that had just been whacked on the nose. "Call Erimentha that more time, and the next one goes right up your nose." She swore.

"Languaaaage!" Solomon called out mockingly, King Maecoal furiously snarling as he slammed his big, enormous trident into the ground.

"You want to play it that way? Fine! Son, get Grillby out here. I want to talk to him about having him make use of his full potential!"

"Father, he's outright refused to just 'raze the ramparts'." Prince Asgore muttered quietly. "Remember, you broached the subject last week?" He admitted.

"I'm going to be more persuasive, then." King Maecoal mumbled. "In the meantime, you take over for me at the front lines and start shelling them with more burning pitch and refuse. Let's see how they like an hour long onslaught of filth!" He proclaimed, shaking his fist at the humans before he trudged back to the monster encampment as Prince Asgore sharply whistled, and catapaults began to be moved up.

"Oh geez, here they come AGAIN!" Solomon yelled out. "Get my webbing shields ready!" He cried out as he clenched his fists and began to furiously spin a new batch of silken shielding for his plan, the others on the ramparts scrambling to get their shields up. "All hands on deck, all hands on deck!"

"Hope you like it!" announced a VERY smug-looking Garamond the skeleton as his brother Courier held up a burning torch, lighting up a pile of…very foul-looking stuff. "You would not believe how difficult it was to get all this out, but we did it! One of the many benefits to being a skeleton monster!"

"You guys are SICK!" Hadiya screeched back as Courier blushed a bit in embarrassment as the burning pile of skeleton shit soared through the air. She held up the enormous woven shield of spider silk as it collided hard, almost knocking her back and off the ramparts as the burning poop splattered and flopped all about. "The audacity of these monsters!"

"Thank goodness my shields are holding up." Solomon remarked as a bunch of crap sailed over his head and flopped down into the streets below. It was a good thing that the people had wisely taken to staying as far away from the city walls and had moved out of homes close to it. Nevertheless, a lot of burning refuse, pitch and crap still found it's way inside, flung through the air, and so a system had been set up to put it out, big buckets of water, sometimes ALSO formed from Solomon's silk, carried from the ocean to whatever was burning.

"They're hoping they can either wait for us to get feeble enough from sickness to just rush on in and overwhelm us, and if they can't do that, Maecoal will force Grillby to just raze the town, I'm sure of it." Hadiya said as she swung her arms. TWHOOSH-THWOOSH-THWOOSH! Her bullets sailed forth, monsters trying to load their catapaults racing away to avoid getting filled up with holes. "We need backup! We can't hold out like this."

It was true. They wouldn't last another month. The sickness was getting far worse than they had any idea, a very slim majority of the town was actually infected with the ravaging disease swelling up inside Dublin, they simply hadn't manifested the symptoms yet. Someone had to save them.

Luckily for them, there were several someones on the way. And one of them was now overlooking the monster encampment from afar on a high hill.

"Theeeeere they are." Cu Chulainn murmured as he and Elisud scouted ahead under the cover of darkness. It was beginning to rain, the water pouring down from the opened heavens as they crouched under sown-together big ol' cloaks designed to protect against the rain. While an umbrella may have been more helpful, such a thing wasn't really used in their lands, people preferred cloaks like these, and the two were tightly bundled up indeed. "I can see them, alright, and I can see Grillby's tent. Look, there." He pointed far off in the distance. "What kind of tent would have that bright a fire and that TALL a one burning in it? See? It's even moving around."

"Yes, that's Sir Grillersby, alright, and where he is, so's Prince Asgore." Elisud murmured. "They must have met up with King Maecoal, the rumors we heard from travelers on the road were true."

"He's taken time to lay waste to the countryside, very, very carefully. Now he's finally reached Dublin, huh…" Cu Chulainn growled. "Well, alert our men. We need to meet up with Dublin's resistance, let them know they have help, and then we can close in on the monsters from two sides, snapping in on them like a crab with its claws!"

"Good idea!" Elisud said with a nod. "Maybe it's best if I go, sir?" He offered. "I mean, I'm small and short enough and my cloak is dark enough that I'll be harder to notice than most of our men." He suggested. "And if trouble arises, I'll simply use my bubble!" He added with a smile.

Cu Chulainn chuckled a bit. "You and your bubble." He remarked.

In truth, the red-haired warrior was finding Elisud's company amazingly calming AND helpful. Elisud had suggested that whenever the folk hero wanted to get out how he felt, to just…lash out and strike at something if he was honestly mad? Whack Elisud when he was in his bubble. So the "Bubble Boy" would just let Cu Chulainn beat and strike and punch and headbutt and kick at the big, green, magical shielding bubble he'd manifest, letting the red-haired, hot-headed man get it all out of his system.

Then something odd began to happen after all that.

He would sit down…and Elisud would sit next to him, and they'd just…

Talk. That's all. Just talking. And now the two were comfortable enough talking that Elisud could openly ask…

"Could you tell me what you see when your future self speaks to you?"

Cu Chulainn stared at Elisud for a while. The question had come right out of nowhere. He wasn't opposed to the idea of talking about it, but…still, to just have it dropped on him so suddenly made him stare. Finally, at long last, he spoke aloud as the winds began to become chilly around them, making him huddle up even more under his large cloak. "The first time it ever happened was when I was trying a technique I had learned about from visitors to our lands. They'd spoken of the power of the one known as "The Buddha" and how meditation led him to reaching a place they called "Nirvana". That it would calm you, bring you to a higher state, a greater, spiritual place inside your heart. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but I began to think how similar it was to my little counting exercise I'd do to calm myself, counting to thirty whenever I was feeling very angry with my wife, to keep myself from yelling at her. It always worked so well, so I thought I'd try this "meditation"."

"And that was when you first encountered your "future self"?" Elisud asked.

"Yes." Cu Chulainn could still see that moment clear in his mind's eye. The air is cold and bitter and foul, yet somehow, also hot and cramped and humid. The land is dead all around me, and mountains piercing into a dark sky linger in the distance. He sat upon a throne of bones and skulls, many…many of them were children." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable, glancing to the side. "And he told me I was he, and he was I. That I would become him in the future, and he would guide me to victory in battle if I heeded his words. Naturally, I tried to hit him, he just…" Cu Chulainn cringed. "A single FLICK of his wrist knocked me across the land like I was a child's toy being tossed away. I had no real choice but to listen, he just…he seemed so insanely powerful, and his words always ended up being proven right. So I kept listening, again and again. I didn't see the big deal but…"

He trailed off for a while, and nothing but the small thudding of raindrops cascading around them filled their ears.

"Now I realize there was something I desperately should have asked about. My family. If I had just paid more attention to them, they'd still be here." He murmured. "And every day I'm waking up to not see my sweet boy and my beautiful wife…their eyes always calmed me. Connla in my lap was…a rock for me when I was scrambling to stay afloat in a river." He tried to explain, grabbing at the air as if trying to wrench hold of a point. "Now…now they're gone. And it's as if big chunks of my insides went with them." He murmured. "…what am I going to do?"

"I'm here to talk, if you want." Elisud offered. "I'll always be here, sir. As a shoulder to cry on. Or just to lend an ear. Like it says in Ecclesiastes, "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth."

Cu Chulainn stared at him for a while, blinking a bit. "You know, I don't believe in your God. But his books sure have very pretty words."

"Well, it's nice we've got that, at least." Elisud offered. "I'll begin sneaking into Dublin, sir. Wish me luck."

"I suppose…go with Christ, as your ilk would say?" Cu Chulainn chuckled as Eli nodded, keeping crouched down, racing from tree to tree as the rain continued to pour, the red-haired, fierce-eyed warrior looking on as he watched the young man barrel off for Dublin in a zig-zagged manner. "He's something special, that young mage." He thought to himself. "So mature for his age, too. Doesn't look half bad eith-"

He suddenly stopped himself. His eyes went wide as his mouth gaped open in shock at the realization of what had just left his mouth. He clamped his hands over his mouth, turning pale, a cold chill sinking into him. What in the hell had he just said?! He…he couldn't TALK like that! You didn't…not with a man! And especially not with someone so much younger than he was! Cu Chulainn was old enough to be the teenager's father! He couldn't possibly have…FEELINGS for him! That idea was disgusting! Unnatural!

But he felt so calm around Eli. And he was always so…happy.

"By WHICHEVER God…what in the fuck am I supposed to do?" Chulainn groaned as he buried his face in his hands.

...

...

...

...Elisud kept himself hidden as the dark rain poured down all around him, a steady THUDDA-THUD-THUDDing echoing through the air from the thick and heavy droplets of water. It was pouring so hard you could scarcely see two feet in front of you, it was as if all around him was hidden by a curtain of water. What he could see, though, was various irritated-looking bunny guards who were looking up at the walls of Dublin Town, holding tightly onto spears and grumbling their unhappiness at each other.

"S'been SIX WEEKS since we got here and they still ain't given up yet. The other's gave up two weeks ago, they couldn't last a bloody month!" The first one remarked as his compatriot sighed, both of them having distinct English accents.

"Well, y'know, not everyone's got what it takes. Some people are just a load of poncy gits that can't hack it." The second bunny guard remarked.

"Yeah, but why do WE gotta hack guard duty today in the worst bloody rainstorm I've ever seen?" His friend wanted to know. Both were wearing cloaks over their round-helmed heads, having thick boots, thick gloves, and looked as miserable as can be, their bunny ears poking up through little holes in their cloaks. "Remind me again why we can't just get our platoon of merfolk to handle this? They love water, don't they?"

"They're sick, remember? They've actually caught colds except for Selkie." The first bunny guard remarked. "Evidently, they're really, really sick too-SHH. Here she comes!"

Elisud realized that the clanking of armor was coming this way and he quickly hid himself right behind the backs of the bunny guards, turning around just as they did, remaining as hidden as he could as a female merperson approached. Unlike others of her ilk, Selkie had a distinctly darker color of skin that was faintly seal-like in color, and she was much more well-built and toned in her muscular structure. On top of that, she was wearing tight-fitting armor under the rain cloak she wore and yet had a distinctly big pot belly on display that jiggled a bit as she looked the two bunny guards over, frowning a bit, with very deep brown eyes.

"Any humans come by? None of them trying to sneak out?" Selkie demanded to know in a distinctly Icelandic voice, her cadence very thick indeed and with dark black hair flopping down her features.

"Believe us, ma'am, we've had our eyes and ears peeled and we ain't seen or heard a single one!" The bunny guards insisted as they both saluted.

"Yes, we've been very closely guarding this section of Dublin's wall, and we've not seen a single bloody human. They're all staying sheltered inside the town or up on the top of the walls overlooking all of us, but they've not even tried shooting at us or anything, it's as if the rain itself just saps their strength." The first bunny guard confessed.

"If I had to guess, ma'am, I reckon humans don't much like being out in the rain." The second bunny guard admitted. "They're probably more miserable here than we are, and we're from England, we're very used to rain, ma'am!"

"BAH, you call this a drizzle? It wouldn't even give the women in my homeland the sniffles. You all can barely hack it." She told them with a scowl, sticking her mottled-looking tongue out, which made the bunnies cringe. "The mer-platoon can't seem to stomach this either, they spend so much time in the lovely Italian or Spanish sunshine or hanging around with the Portuguese and in other lovely warm waters, none of them really know what it's like to be in cooler, more trying temperatures." Selkie muttered. "Builds  **character**!" She proclaimed, smacking her chest with her gauntleted fist. "At any rate, keep an eye out. Maintain your post!" She demanded. "All three of you little bunnies." She remarked, nodding as she walked on off, the two bunny guards saluting after her.

"Yes, ma'am! Of course, we're gonna…"

Then they stopped, staring at each other. "Wait, did she say…" the second one began, the first one nodding as they turned to look behind them…

But Elisud had already taken off, he was now climbing up the wall as best he could, using blue magic to elevate himself up, up, onto the ramparts, flopping down right next to, of all people, Solomon and Eri, the two currently on guard duty themselves at that spot of the Dublin wall as Hadiya and Abel were patrolling a section across from them. "Oh!" Solomon intoned, looking surprised as he held up a shield of strong webbing he'd waterproofed over he and Eri's head, Elisud picking himself up. "My, my. Who might you be?" He inquired. "I can tell you're a mage from that fine little display of blue magic. I'm Solomon, and this is Eri, and you would be…?"

"I'm Elisud, sir." Elisud bowed his head at him, then at Eri, who's hand he shook. "I'm here to deliver a message from Cu Chulainn, if you would hear it. We've mustered our forces not far from Dublin Town, and we're ready to help you. We've an idea for a pincer attack, you in the town can sweep forth from your city and we'll come racing in from behind. I just need to give Cu Chulainn the symbol and we'll put the plan into action." The green-robed young man informed the two. "Who's in charge here of the town's defenses?"

"The mayor'll be very happy to here this!" Eri intoned. "Finally, we've been waiting AGES for some kind of backup!" She joyously grinned as she held out her arms.

"Oh, geez, s-sorry, I don't want to get you wet…" Elisud admitted nervously as Eri chuckled.

"Get me wet." She insisted as Elisud hugged her, Solomon chuckling a little.

"I'll go alert our friends, then. How are we going to signal your lord Cu Chulainn's forces? A fire of some kind?" He inquired of Elisud as he shook his head.

"No, you just need me. I'm to manifest the biggest, largest green shield I can manifest on top of the ramparts. But we'd best wait for this awful rain to clear." He added before a THWIZZZ sound rang through the air and he cringed, gasping in pain, an arrow had stuck right into his shoulder, and damn, did it hurt!

"Human mage, human mage!" One of the bunny guards below roared out as Solomon quickly maneuvered his shield he'd been using to protect from the rain in front to shield Elisud and Eri as they scrambled to move down to the town streets below on a ladder, Elisud cringing as Eri brought him into a nearby house to remove the arrow, more arrows flying at the ramparts as the cries of angry monsters rang out.

"Hold on…this'll hurt a bit." Eri said, taking a deep breath as she grasped the arrow, then quickly yanked as hard and swiftly as she could, tugging it out. Elisud panted heavily, wiping his brow as he held his hand up to his shoulder.

"Just need to focus a little…could I have some water?" He asked as Eri nodded, turning to a small group of Dubliners who were standing around them.

"Water, please." She insisted as one of them raced off, bringing back a waterskin, made from sheep skin. Eri raised it to the young and bearded lad's lips and Elisud took a few swigs, closing his eyes.

"Thank you very much. God bless you." He softly intoned as he smiled at them all before the hand on his shoulder glowed with a soft green light. Bit by bit the wound from the arrow began to fade as he sighed, now he just had a tear in his cloak instead.

"Ah, so that's how green magic works." Eri remarked, looking very impressed indeed as Elisud rubbed the back of his neck. "You're a "Kindness" soul."

"Yes, Miss Eri." He remarked as he looked into her eyes, and a faint tingle rose up in him. "Would…would you happen to be a magic user too?" He asked of her. "I've got this hunch inside me that you are."

"Oh, yes, I can use purple magic." She remarked. "I'm able to bring the things I draw to life." She told Elisud. "It's helped out a little when it comes to replacing torn waterskins or broken furniture or food items, but it takes a lot out of me. On top of that, we've kind of gone through a lot of the parchment I could use to make such things."

"You burn it for fires, then?" Elisud inquired.

"…well, not at FIRST…" Eri admitted with a sigh, shaking her head back and forth. "I'm very glad you're here because it was getting horrible. I mean, we've utterly run out of tablecloths now, people are that desperate. And you don't wanna KNOW how we get rid of all the waste."

SPLOOOOORSCCCGGGGGHHHHH! Catapault loads of very unpleasant things indeed had been jettisoned out from the town square and now flopped down onto the armored, irritated and infuriated forms of the besieging monsters outside as they held their shields up, cringing in disgust. "You people are GARBAGE!" King Maecoal furiously bellowed out as he hid underneath his own enormous shield, the monsters around him gagging in disgust at the smell.

"Speaking OF, have a little more!" Hadiya yelled back from over the wall as she turned back to the town. "Give 'em another load!" She called out as Abel pinched his nose tight with one hand, the other holding up a shield to protect himself and Hadiya from the inevitable onslaught of retaliatory arrows that were sure to follow after this, as they always did. They had run out of the material needed to make "Greek fire", a kind of dark oil, "crude oil" in fact. So they'd figured out something else to toss at the monsters that was proving just as effective in its own disgusting and childish way.

"Thank God we'll literally never run outta shit to throw at them." Abel remarked as Hadiya began to laugh so hard she doubled up.

Meanwhile, Tobias, Toriel, Seiichi and Sakamoto were having a meeting with the most powerful blue mage in town, which, in their case, was none other than Leopold, and as they went to approach his home, they stopped in mid-walk, staring in surprise, seeing the unmistakable sign of Leopold giving a skeleton monster, and a male one at that, a kiss on the cheek. The two had been practicing lifting Gaster up into the air along with Gerald, and now Leopold had gotten so good he no longer really seemed to need much additional magical aid from the faintly UFO-shaped alien anymore.

And as Leo had bounded up and down for joy, holding Gaster in his arms in a hug, the moment had happened, a quick kiss right on the cheeks, first the left, then the right!

"OH." Toriel had remarked aloud, Tobias gaping, mouth wide open, Seiichi staring ahead as Sakamoto went "Huh", shrugging a bit as Gaster, Leo and Gerald turned to look at them. "Um…h-hello."

"Oh! Uh…" Leopold turned almost as white as his long hair. "Just, um…er…"

They all stared at him, Toriel glancing away as Tobias cleared his throat. "I'm, ah, going to pretend I didn't see that." He murmured to them. "I'm not going to judge you for what you do in your spare time, but you probably should not be doing that sort of thing anywhere in town. Unless you both decide to engage in "Adelphopoiesis" but you're too young to go into a "brother making" ceremony. Not everyone is Saint Sergius and Bacchus."

"How old do you have to be?" Leopold asked quickly as Gerald held up a finger to his lips.

"SHHHH! SHH-SHH-SHHH. None of that, none of that! Not right now, we've got a dragon in front of us!" He said quickly as Sakamoto chuckled.

"In OUR culture, we don't really give a damn about who marries who, in fact, we have "open" marriages. If we so desire, another man or woman is allowed to sleep with those not their husbands or wives, we simply understand that, in the end, they will come back to their truest love."

"That seems…" Toriel frowned. "I'm sorry, that seems very reckless and naïve to make such an assumption, you're almost inviting cheating on you, inviting your heart to be broken."

"A risk we don't mind taking." Sakamoto intoned. "What IS your species's hangup with homosexuality? Animals in nature engage in it, it's not that strange, the Greeks were famous for it."

"Yes, but they were also famous for rather disturbing things with boys." Tobias said quickly. "I've read up on it, good sir, they're not beyond reproach. I would just prefer people keep their more…erotic feelings to themselves and to their homes." He commented.

"Have you ever been in love?" Gaster asked of Tobias, looking the brown-haired young lord over, seeing his rosy complexion. My, my, my, he was quite a lovely specimen of human himself. Seiichi wasn't his type much, but he was kind of cute in a charming sort of butterball-like way.

"Um…well, I've had infatuation, perhaps." Tobias mumbled. "But at any rate, you seem to be an exceptionally wonderful mage, Mr. Leopold, and we'd like you to join our little campaign. King Maecoal himself is at Dublin Town, laying siege to it. We wish to completely overwhelm him. Capturing him, we'll force the Monsters he commands into signing terms of surrender." Tobias went on. "It will be difficult, admittedly, because he's amassing more of his troops based off intercepted communiques we've gotten hold of, but if we strike quickly, we can get to him before his backup does."

"And while he may be able to handle one, two, maybe even three mages at once, having about half a dozen fighting alongside hundreds, if not thousands of humans, including the one and only Cu Chulainn is another thing entirely." Sakamoto intoned. "So what say you?"

"You just want to capture him?" Leopold asked quietly, looking from them to Gaster and Gerald, biting his lip.

"Yes. We would capture him and force his surrender, we would prefer not to kill him. But it's best we get there soon as possible, because from what I've heard, Cu Chulainn is not famed for his patience, nor his mercy." Seiichi remarked. "Tobias and Ms. Toriel have been regaling me with all kinds of stories about him. Can he really turn into a demon?" He wanted to know.

"Oh, yes, I can testify to that." Gaster said. "My brother Garamond has fought with him, his skin becomes all red, scaley, he gains horns, a tail, claws, taloned feet…" He shuddered. "Evidently he also smells like brimstone, too. A true demon, that's his unique ability, that's not in dispute at all."

"…oh. Oh, well, um…that's…" Seiichi looked considerably disturbed. "I…well, so, er…are you going to come with us?"

"Yes, yes I will." Leopold said. "But I would very much like for Gaster to be allowed to come with me alongside Gerald. They're very dear and helpful to me."

The others nervously looked at each other. "We'll uh…discuss it while you have a chat with your two "nakama"." Seiichi murmured. As they walked off, Seiichi put his hands in his robes pockets, biting his lip, looking down at the ground as Sakamoto glanced back at him.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"An actual demon? A real demon? I mean…" Seiichi sounded sick. "He's a real demon! We have legends of demons where I'm from but I've never heard actual evidence of it, never heard the animals talk of them, there's always just been spirits angered by others, who felt unjustly wronged and who wanted to get even with humans, like the youkai. But if demons are truly real, then maybe…maybe evil is real. And I've been taught for years it really wasn't, but-"

Sakamoto quietly nodded as Toriel then gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and Seiichi looked quickly up at her. She smiled warmly back at him.

"I've also heard Cu Chulainn had a wife and son he loved even more than fighting. Anyone like that can't truly be evil, can they?" She offered.

"Do you believe in the Devil, Ms. Toriel?" Seiichi asked. "Do you not think he's evil?"

"I think he's delusional and pitiable." Toriel told Seiichi. "We've had prayers for many people, but none for the one who needs mercy the most…the most pitiful, deluded, utter fool of all who had paradise and threw it away. And if he was good and smart enough to realize it, he'd be welcomed back into God's arms. Yet even then, the Devil still sometimes does God's work, sometimes we need to be tested and tempted to emerge stronger. Try to think of THIS as a test. Maybe you'll come out stronger for it."

Seiichi gave her a big, fat hug. She smiled, hugging the twelve year old back. "Children like you shouldn't have such great a burden placed on you. I'm sorry that you do."

"You're wise beyond your years, Ms. Toriel. I wish more people were like you."

"Yeah. That's what's so amazing about her." Tobias said with a nod and a big smile at Toriel as Sakamoto slightly clucked his tongue, and shook his head back and forth.

Gaster and Leopold, meanwhile, were sitting in the kitchen in the house Gerald and Leopold were staying in, Leo and Gaster holding hands.

"Will your mother allow it?"

"I'm old enough to make decisions for myself." Gaster said firmly. "I don't care if she does say no, Leo. I'm going with you. You couldn't stop me even if you told me not to and tried to tie me down."

"You really want this?"

"Yes."

"So do I." Leo squeezed his hand. "I just wouldn't want anyone else besides you and Gerald by my side for this."

Gerald rubbed the back of his head. "Don't be going all sentimental on us, m'boy. We've got a lot of work still to do. You'll be out on the front lines, no kind of safety net. You'll have to either sink or swim. So can you promise me you won't drown?"

"I'm a damn good swimmer, Gerald." Leopold insisted. "I think I'll stay above water. And I'll make sure you do too."

And so, as the sun began to descend, it was decided. They would go to Dublin Town as quickly as possible, travelling upon Sakamoto as Tobias left the town in the charge of his parents. He'd instructed the court mage and his sons to find a way to keep in touch with him though.

"We've got an idea that could work." Said Mr. Bloke, the ghost monster smiling as his adorable sons pulled off the cover of an enormous mirror, which reflected…nothing. It was all swimmy and dusty and dark. "Say your name, milord."

"Tobias." Tobias said quickly into the mirror as the others gazed on, mesmerized by the sight as the swirling black inky abyss in the mirror transfigured itself into, sure enough, Tobias!

"It's you!" Mr. Bloke laughed. "See, this mirror is enchanted. We're going to work on having it hone in upon your very soul, sir. And it'll, in turn, then hone back on us. You will see us, we will see you and anyone else who's currently touching your body and in front of the mirror. Right now though, it's not quite finished, it only lasts for five minutes." He added as Tobias could see the visage in the mirror fading away to darkness once again. "But it'll prove invaluable, we'll let you know how things are back home and can provide you with news from feelers we've sent out across our lands. If more monsters are coming to Dublin Town, if there's going to be rioting in Germany, you'll know almost as soon as we know."

"Brilliant!" Tobias said happily, giving Mr. Bloke a hug…or rather, trying to. His arms passed through Mr. Bloke as he cringed. "Oops. S-Sorry." He murmured as he shuddered. "Wow, I can't feel you, yet you're icy cold!"

"A regrettable side effect of being dead." Mr. Bloke admitted. "It's always very chilly for me. Like it's a winter's evening and I've plumb forgotten to put on any pants."

Toriel began laughing so hard she fell off Sakamoto. "Okay, little rule. Nobody tell ANY jokes when I'm flying!" Sakamoto insisted as Leopold hovered her right onto the dragon's back. "Can we agree on that?"

"No promises." Toriel giggled mischievously.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

_...all of us thought the rain would clear up. Unfortunately, it hasn't. As I write this, it's been raining for a solid five days now and people are beginning to get seriously worried. There are concerns of flooding to consider now here in Dublin Town and the worst part is that the weather's getting colder and colder, so the rain has now begun to turn into freezing rain and sleet._

_Maecoal managed to get reinforcements. Evidently it had taken them a while to get here, but they'd left the minute they heard he was at Dublin Town. We know they're new because ol King Maecoal has been patrolling the outside of the town with not only Sir Garamond by his side and Jocasta, leader of the Minotaur Men, but also Selkie and Melusine, the two greatest Merfolk warriors of all._

_Melusine, however, clearly isn't much into any of this though. It's common for us to catch her looking at a little picture that her young daughter drew of her and her distinctly human father. The kid's skilled, she was able to carve it onto a stone tablet and the resemblance is uncanny. Evidently "Undyne" would make for a wonderful artist!_

_Jocasta is clearly very terrified of messing up. She got in quite a lot of trouble, from what we've heard of whispers from the guards, for taking prisoners from the last city she raided and she doesn't want to mess things up. She tried to make up for this by being exceptionally cruel and sneaking up the ramparts to forcibly tug some of our guards off the top and then pulling them off to messily disembowel them as a "warning" of what will happen to all of us._

_So, needless to say, there's no more napping on top of the ramparts. Everyone's now on edge. The only good thing about the fact the rain's turned icy and sleety is that she can't scale the walls the way she used to. Cold comfort…literally. We're all freezing._

_I'm not too put off by this though, I'm a sailor and I'm from a town used to unpleasantly cold weather. What I **am**  put off by is that horrible faint whispering I keep hearing. It's gotten louder and is now a low voice, and I'm sure that it is HIS voice. He Who Lurks Beneath The Waves, the Old One, That Which Lives In His Own Eyes. He has so many names and they're all horrifying and foul and the stench is like someone squished fish eyeballs under your nostrils._

_He's not best pleased with me running off. He didn't like that I rejected him and left my hometown. I think he very much "wanted the set"._

_Well he can't have me. I value my freedom. Wave over wave, sea over bow, I was happy a man as the sea would allow! There's no other life for a sailor like me than to sail the soft sea, boys, to sail the sea! Yes, no other life but to sail the soft sea. The work it is hard, the hours are long, but my spirit is willing, my back it is strong._

_And when the work's over, the whisky we'll pour, and I'll dance with the girls upon this foreign shore. I eagerly await for this to be over, but-_

Abel put the feather quill he'd been using to write down, quivering. Knocking. Knocking at the door.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

He took a deep breath, taking up his oil lamp. Torches weren't very helpful, they didn't provide a lot of light and they generated too much smoke more often than not. No, no, simple candles and oil lamps were what worked best. And he held his oil lamp up, approaching the door.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

He took in a deep, long breath, kneeling down, looking underneath-

…nothing was there. There wasn't anything on the other end of the door, and yet…

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

"GO. AWAY." Abel said firmly, cringing, his grip on the oil lamp slightly quivering and shaking. "Go. Away. Now!" He demanded.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

"I! SAID!  **GO AWAAAAAAAAAAY!** " Abel yelled furiously, roaring, as the door thudded and shook even harder than before and then…

Then it was over. Abel sighed, hanging his head, returning back to the desk-

TOK-TOK-TOK!

Rapping at the window. He lifted the oil lamp up…nothing  **there**  either.

But he did not sleep well that night. Not one bit.


End file.
